The Fight for Power
by DaughteroftheRedKing
Summary: AU. Mystearica Fende has just started going to a new school - a private academy run by Fonists. While she thinks all she has to deal with is 'popular' girls and getting her work done on time, things start to escalate out of her control; but hey, at least she has a cute boy to keep her company, right?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Wow! Another fanfic! And I still haven't continued writing Living a Lie!**

**(I am a procrastinating pro)**

**Anyways, I wrote this on a whim and thought, hey, it's pretty long. Let's make another story!**

**As usual, updates will be once a week, usually on Thursday (but may be earlier by accident or if I can't get online)**

**I'm also at Camp NaNoWriMo writing a KH fic, so I probably won't be very busy for the rest of the month.**

**Disclaimer: I don't know Tales of the Abyss. It belongs to Namco Bandai (I think)**

* * *

The girl walked through the large doors into the academy. She clutched her bag to her tightly, gazing around nervously.

Students walked around her, ignoring her except for the occasional odd look. They held themselves stiffly, and turned their noses up at her. She clutched her bag tighter, feeling the animosity of those who believed they were better than her.

Someone banged into her, sending her sprawling to the floor. Looking up, she saw a girl with blonde hair and curled lip looking at her.

"Oh, sorry," she drawled sarcastically.

"Um..it's okay," she replied, standing up, head lowered. Her tan hair covered one bright blue eye, hiding it from view.

"And who are you?" the girl asked, eyebrow raised.

"Tear Fende...miss," she replied, instinctively curling up.

"Hmph. Make sure to stay out of my way next time," she snapped, before striding off. Tear watched her go, then looked back at the school. She didn't belong here...This was a place for smart and rich people. She'd only gotten in because her older brother put in a good word.

'I want to go home...'

she thought to herself, keeping her gaze locked firmly on the floor.

She entered the large hall, looking around in fascination. Everything was intricately decorated, with marble columns and statues lining the walls. The other students passed through it without so much as a sideways glance, though Tear didn't understand how anyone could get used to such grandeur.

She pulled the letter from her pocket, rereading the directions. Looking around, she started for the hallway which should lead to the Headmaster's office. Finally reaching the door, she reached up and knocked, feeling her nerves catching up to her.

"Come in," a voice called, and she swallowed thickly before pushing the door open and entering.

The man who stood staring out of the window didn't look anything like she had imagined. He glanced back, and she felt a blush coming to her cheeks. His hair was a flaming red, coming to his waist, and his eyes were the most brilliant gold.

He looked her up and down a moment, then suddenly smiled. His face seemed to light up, and she forced herself to stay calm.

"Ah, Miss Fende. We've been expecting you," he said, turning and walking to the chair. He sat down, motioning to the other chair. She crossed over to it, sitting down hesitantly. He looked at her, considering her.

"Why are you here, Miss Fende?"

"Huh?"

"Why did you want to join our school?"

"Oh, um...I don't really know. I just came because it's a really good school."

"So you haven't planned ahead or anything?" the man continued.

Tear shrank in her seat. "No."

The man stared at her a moment longer, and she wondered if she was about to be kicked out, when he smiled again. "Excellent. I think we'll get along well. My name is Lorelei, the Headmaster of this school. Be good, and we won't be meeting that often," he said.

'Aww...'

she thought to herself.

"Is there a particular dorm you'd like to be part of?"

"Huh?"

"We have three different dorms for people to choose from. Malkuth, led by Peony, Kimlasca led by Ingobert, and Daath led by Vandescelsca."

Tear was about to say Daath, then hesitated. "Which one is best?" she asked.

Lorelei shrugged. "They're all pretty even. Daath has a lead at the moment, but Malkuth and Kimlasca aren't too far behind."

Tear still hesitated, not sure which one she wanted to go for. Lorelei seemed to notice her nervousness.

"How about I choose for you now, and then if you want to swap, you can?" he suggested.

"You can do that?" she asked, surprised.

"Oh yes. Most students don't swap ever, but some do. It's perfectly within the rules to just change teams, but you lose all the points you gained for that team, so it's not suggested."

Tear nodded. "Alright," she agreed.

Lorelei considered her, looking her up and down. He noted her still red cheeks, and then an evil grin crossed his face.

"Kimlasca. You can be in Kimlasca."

Tear nodded again, trying not to look disappointed. _'If you want to go to Daath later, just ask him,' _she reminded herself.

"Here's a map of the school grounds, and a copy of your timetable. Any other equipment you need, we have a stationary store near the cafeteria, so you can buy it there. As you're not here because of your parents, you'll get a monthly allowance of fifty Gald, though that amount can change depending on your attitude in school, understand?"

Tear nodded mutely, having not expected to actually get money from the school.

"Alright, lessons have already started, but I'll just ring up your teacher and tell her you're likely to be late. I'd suggest heading to the dorms first; I'll send someone down to show you around."

"Thank you sir," she murmured, standing up.

Lorelei grinned. "Come back if you have any problems," he called to her as she left the room. As the door shut, he sat back, gaze travelling to the door hidden in shadows that was slightly open. "Now, why on Auldrant didn't you show yourself, Yulia?" he asked.

A figure stepped through the door, her golden brown hair sweeping to her hips and bright blue eyes looking at the door which Tear had left through.

"...She doesn't need to know I'm here yet," Yulia replied quietly, and Lorelei shrugged.

"That's up to you. Though considering her reception from this morning, she'll probably need to know soon," he replied, standing and looking out of the window, watching as Tear hurried across the grounds to the dorm.

Yulia sighed, hugging herself. "I know," she whispered.

* * *

Tear reached the door and hurried inside. She looked around, wondering who this person was likely to be.

"Are you Mystearica Fende?" a voice asked behind her and she jumped, keeping herself from shrieking out loud.

"U-Um, yes," she replied, turning to face the newcomer. Then blinked, confused. "Mr Lorelei?" she asked.

The boy blinked before laughing. Tear stood there, a little put out, and he calmed down. "Ah, sorry, sorry. It's just, everyone always mistakes me for Dad, but no one's ever asked me out loud," he explained, meeting her gaze with a grin.

Tear felt heat coming to her cheeks. His flame red hair came down to his hips, the tips a golden-orange colour. His emerald eyes sparkled with his laughter, gold flecking them, and he had an easy grin.

"So, I'm Luke. I'm going to show you around, okay?" he said. Tear nodded, her cheeks growing even redder, and he looked concerned. "You okay? Got a fever or something?" he asked, reaching out to touch her forehead.

"No! No, I'm fine," she said, jerking away and hurrying ahead. Luke watched her go in surprise then smirked, before going after her.

"The girls' side is this way!"

* * *

"...And this is your room."

Luke finished their tour, stopping outside a room. Tear looked at it hesitantly, reaching out and opening the door.

The room had two beds, and while one side was plain, the other was lavishly furnished. It looked extremely expensive; a plethora of blues, whites and greens, and Tear felt her shrink into herself.

"W-Who am I sharing with?" she asked Luke.

He glanced in, nodding slowly. "Natalia Lanvaldear. She's the daughter of Ingobert, so she's pretty rich."

'Great...'

Tear thought to herself as she stepped inside, suddenly noticing her bags on the other bed.

"Was my stuff brought up?" she asked, surprised.

"Uh huh. Part of the service," Luke explained, leaning against the doorframe as Tear looked around in interest. She sat down on the bed, surprised at how soft it was. The covers were a plain white, but soft, and she smiled as she ran a hand along it. "You like it?" Luke asked.

Tear nodded. "I've never felt anything so soft," she murmured.

Luke grinned, giving a bow. "Glad to be of service," he said grandly.

Tear looked at him in surprise. "You...um, cleaned this?"

"Yup. Dad gets me and Asch to help around the school because we pretty much live here, and it's hard on the staff when they have to clean like, a hundred bed sheets."

"Dad...you said that before. Who is your dad?" Tear asked.

Luke raised an eyebrow. "You mistook me for him, but you don't know?"

Tear considered, then blushed. "M-Mr Lorelei is your dad?" she asked hesitantly.

"Bingo. Though don't mention that to Asch, he gets irritated enough by all the stupid girls fawning on him and teachers trying to suck up to him because of it."

"Guess it would be awkward, with your dad as the Head teacher," Tear mused.

"You don't know the half of it," Luke muttered, rolling his green-gold eyes.

Tear smiled, and Luke glanced at her before closing his eyes. "Anyway, what have you got first lesson?" he asked.

Tear frowned, pulling out the timetable Lorelei had given her. "Um...Mr Upala."

"Tactics, huh? Cool, looks like we're in the same lesson. Show me your timetable, we'll compare," Luke said, holding out his hand.

Tear raised an eyebrow. "There's such a word as 'please'," she said icily.

Luke blinked, then grinned. "Right, sorry. _Please_ can I have your timetable?"

Tear handed it over, and Luke scanned his eyes over it.

"Mmmkay...So we've got Fonic Artes, Tactics, Short Range Weaponry and Escapism together." Scanning it a bit more, he blinked. "You do Fonic Hymns? Wow..That course has barely anyone in it, I've never actually met someone who wasn't in Daath and could use them."

"Why are most of them in Daath?" asked Tear.

"Because Van is the Dorm master of Daath, as well as the one who teaches it. People just go to Daath to learn more," Luke replied with a shrug.

He handed back the paper, and Tear took it. "What classes do you do then?" she asked.

"Fonic Artes, Tactics, Politics, Short Range Weaponry and Escapism. Pretty much the same," he replied. He pulled a face. "I have a friend who does Fon Machines. I don't understand how he can stand it, the teacher's a weirdo."

"Who teaches Fon Machines?" asked Tear, curious. It sounded interesting, at least.

"Dist Saphir. He refers to himself as 'Dist the Rose' and wears _makeup _of all things," Luke replied with a shiver.

There came a sudden ringing and he pulled a phone out of his pocket.

"Hello," he said as he answered. He was silent, then sighed. "I'm at the dorms. Showing round the new girl." Silence. "Yeah yeah, I know. We'll be there in a minute." Another silence, and Luke smirked. "So you say. They won't care as long as I'm there. Anyway, I'll see ya. Bye." He tucked it back in his pocket, looking at Tear. "Okay, we're pretty late for lessons. Want to skip this one and I'll show you around? Or have half hour left of lessons?"

Tear considered. "I don't mind, really."

"Alright then, thirty minute speed tour, coming up," Luke replied with a grin.

* * *

**A/N: So, how'd you like it? Good? Bad?**

**Review?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Chapter 2! Yay!**

**Also, judging by file size and the fact 96KB generally gives me about 12 chapters, I'll say this will be... ****_165KB so.. _****15-19 chapters! If not more.**

**Review Reply: _Guest: _It probably is. Well...kinda. It includes fighting! Does that make you happy? :3 Oh, and thanks for the thing about the summary. Didn't realise... :S**

* * *

Tear finally got back to her room, having said goodbye to Luke. He was going to pick her up in fifteen minutes to take her to Fonic Artes class, but for now she decided to just unpack a few of her things.

Just as she finished putting her clothes in the drawers, the door slammed open and a figure flounced in. Tear glanced at her then stiffened, recognising her as the girl she had bumped into earlier.

The girl - Natalia - noticed her a second later and looked at her.

"Oh. So you're the new girl?" she asked imperiously.

Tear nodded, wishing the ground could swallow her up.

"What was your name? Mia?"

"Tear."

"Whatever, Mia. Now, while you are sharing _my _room, I expect you to keep your side clean, and if I ever need you to, you must clean my side as well. None of your personal belongings can be on display, the bed must be kept, and if you are in the room at the same time as me, be silent and be as inconspicuous as possible. I don't want to even know you're there."

Tear nodded slowly. Natalia seemed pleased, giving her a tight smile.

"Now, run along. This is my free period, and I don't want to spend it looking at _you._"

Tear grabbed her bag, hurrying from the room. She stood outside the closed door for a moment, controlling the urge to cry. Of all the people she could be roommates with, it had to be _her._

A mop of fiery hair caught her attention and she hurriedly dried her eyes, looking up and smiling at Luke. Then she blinked. He seemed to have multiplied, another him standing beside him.

Tear hesitantly looked at the new boy. His hair was practically the same shade as Luke's, but his eyes were a tad darker. The same golden flecks ran through them, and she would have thought they were same person were it not for the slightly surly, sarcastic expression on his face.

"Tear, this is my twin, Asch," Luke introduced, motioning to the boy

"Um..Hello. Nice to meet you. I'm Tear Fende," she greeted, holding out her hand.

"Asch," Asch replied, shaking it before looking at Luke.

"Great! So, now we're all ready, shall we head off?" he suggested, leading the way.

* * *

The days passed quickly for Tear. She found herself mainly hanging around with the twins, though also felt the plethora of death glares from fan girls and teachers alike.

Natalia continued to get meaner. It turned out she was actually dating Asch, and seemed to see Tear as competition. Whenever Tear came in, she would order the girl around until she dropped onto her bed from exhaustion. Tear was almost surprised at the amount of jobs there was around the place.

Luke and Asch didn't notice anything, however. Outside of their room, Natalia was a nice and charming girl. She was polite to everyone, even Tear, though the few dirty looks she sent her way were noticed by the recipient.

"I'm going out to a party in my _friend's _room, commoner. Set my bed and tidy up while I'm gone for when I return. Also, put my night clothes on the bed ready. If I require assistance, I'll wake you," Natalia said one evening before flouncing out of the room. Tear watched her go with dark eyes, then bundled underneath the covers.

"I hate this school...I hate all the people in this school..." she muttered to herself, then considered."Okay, not everyone. Luke and Asch are nice," she amended, then sighed, shaking her head. "I don't understand why Natalia's so mean..." she murmured, curling up into a tight ball. A few tears leaked out, but she held the rest back.

_'Maybe I'll just leave...I obviously don't belong here,' _she thought to herself.

There came a knock at her door, but she didn't move. If it was Natalia, the girl could let herself in. The knock came again, but Tear closed her eyes and turned her back, pretending to be asleep.

The door creaked open, soft, hesitant footsteps padding across the room towards her. She instinctively stiffened, tears coming to her eyes again.

"Tear?" the person whispered, and she blinked in surprise. Turning over, she came face to face with Luke. The boy looked at her a moment then grinned. "Oh, cool. I thought you were sleeping," he said, stepping back as Tear sat up.

"Luke? What are you doing here?" she asked, confused.

"Looking for you, duh. You want to go out for a bit? I found this really cool spot in the grounds, and I wondered if you wanted to come see it," he said with a shrug.

Tear was about to say yes, then remembered what Natalia had said and her face fell.

"...Sorry. I can't. I...promised I'd help Natalia out."

"Pssh. Forget her. What did she ask you to do anyway?"

"J-Just a couple of things."

Luke's eyes suddenly hardened, the grin vanishing. Tear blinked at the sudden change in attitude.

"Tell me straight, Tear. Is she treating you like a servant?"

Tear looked at him, then nodded slowly. Luke sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Right...Hang on a moment," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the phone she had seen before. She hadn't seen any other students carrying around phones, she realised, and wondered why he had one.

He pressed a number, holding it up as he waited for it to connect.

"Hey, Asch."

Tear blinked. He had a phone just to talk to Asch with?

"Yeah, I'm in Natalia's room...No, I am not with her! Yeesh." Silence, then Luke nodded. "Uh huh. But anyway, that's not why I called. Listen, Natalia's doing that thing again...Yeah, that's the one. Can you talk to her for me?"

Tear suddenly realised they were on about her, and reddened.

"Luke, it's okay. I'll...get used to it," she replied. Luke gave her a flat stare, then went back to the phone.

"Okay, thanks...Yeah, you too. See ya." Hanging up, he slipped the phone back into his pocket. "Okay, Asch should take care of that. Now, let's get going shall we?"

Tear sighed, realising she wasn't going to win this one. Getting up, she slipped her shoes on then followed him out.

They headed outside into the cool night air, and Tear looked around. She'd never been outside during the night, and stared at how different it looked. Things which seemed tall and intimidating during the day suddenly seemed so peaceful, gentle. The looming trees rustled gently, welcoming her. Various lights lit up the paths, gentle in their own way, and the natural Fonons that flitted around glowed brightly in the darkness.

"Beautiful, huh? Dad saw this place when he was a kid, and decided he'd build a house here one day. When he got older he did, then it just gradually expanded into a school," Luke explained as he saw her wide eyes.

"How long have you lived here?" asked Tear.

"All our lives. We were born and raised in these buildings, and we've pretty much watched the school grow from scratch," Luke replied with a shrug.

"Wow...It must have been amazing to live here with your parents."

Luke nodded. "Yeah. Mum'd take us out almost every night, and we'd just sit and watch the stars," he said, his eyes distant.

Tear looked at him. "What happened to her?" he asked.

Luke blinked, as if coming out of a daze, glancing at Tear before looking away. "...She died. She was giving birth to our little sister, but she died. Then our sister died a little while afterwards as well," he replied quietly.

Tear bit her lip. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring up such a painful topic," she said, eyes upset.

Luke shook his head. "It's okay. Not many people know, to be honest. We've...never really told anyone," he replied quietly.

Tear remained silent, unsure how to respond. She'd never known her own parents; she'd been raised in Yulia City, whose founder was her mother. Her parents had vanished when she was younger, and Van, being the older one, had left to find some work. He'd occasionally come back to visit, but she had mainly been raised in seclusion.

Luke suddenly stopped, and she managed to stop herself before she bumped into him.

"What's the matter?" she asked, looking round him before blinking.

It was a beautiful clearing. The lake was serene, reflecting the moon on a motionless surface, and it was surrounded by cherry blossoms, their petals falling around them. Tear gasped, stepping forward and looking around.

"It's so beautiful!" she gasped. A light wind flew by, causing flower petals to blow towards her, and she giggled as a few got caught in her hair, which was blowing out behind her.

She looked over at Luke, who had an oddly whimsical look on him. "Do you come here often?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Often enough. We like it here; it's peaceful, and secluded. Not many can find it unless you know where to go."

"It's gorgeous," Tear murmured, looking around again, her eye shining.

"Yeah...it is," Luke replied quietly, and she looked at him in confusion. He waved it off. "Nothing. Oh hey, there's some pretty nifty magic on the lake too. Watch this," he said, bending down and placing his fingers in the water.

It suddenly erupted upwards, spraying them with water. Tear giggled as it coated her, gazing at it in amazement.

Luke stood up, grinning at her, then his phone went off. Sighing, he lifted it out and opened.

"Before you start ranting Dad, yes, I know I'm not supposed to play with the geyser, sorry, I won't do it again, yes I'm with Tear, no I don't know where Asch is, and I hope you're having a good evening in a sarcastic tone as well."

Tear blinked at the rapid-fire tick list, then giggled as Lorelei started talking back to Luke, who kept pulling faces.

"Fine, fine. I was just showing Tear though Dad, sorry...Yeah, sure." He lifted the phone away, looking at her. "He wants to talk to you," he said, passing it over.

Tear took it, cupping it against her ear. "Um, hello?"

_"Good evening Mystearica. How are you?" _Lorelei's smooth voice came back.

"I'm fine thank you Mr Lorelei."

_"That's not completely true, now is it, Mystearica?"_

Tear blinked. "Pardon?"

_"I'm aware of your problems with Miss Lanvaldear."_

Tear tensed. "There aren't any problems Mr Lorelei, honest..."

_"You may not view them as problems, but we do. Now, we have a few spare rooms, and I'm willing to allow you to have your own until further notice, if you want?"_

Tear considered. She felt mean leaving Natalia so suddenly, but then again, the other girl probably wouldn't notice.

"Alright. Thank you Mr Lorelei."

She could almost hear Lorelei smirking on the other end. _"Good night, Mystearica. Oh, and I know this is an almost impossible task, but try to keep Luke out of trouble would you?"_

"Certainly, sir. Good night."

The phone clicked off and Tear handed it back over. Luke pocketed it, then looked around. "What do you want to do? Head back in? Or we can stay out here for a bit longer," he suggested.

"I don't mind," Tear replied with a shrug, and Luke sat himself down on the grass. He lay back, hair pillowing beneath him with hands behind his head, and stared up at the sky. Tear sat down beside him, knees pulled up to her chest as she stared at the reflection of the moon.

Slowly, tiredness crept in, and she eventually fell back, landing on something soft and curling against it before falling asleep.

Luke glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and smirked. "Great. Thanks for using my hair as a pillow," he murmured quietly, before sighing. He pulled the phone out of his pocket, gazing up at it. A moment later a picture of the sleeping Tear appeared, and he smiled before tucking it away, going back to staring at the stars.

* * *

**A/N: Aww, isn't it cute? :3**

**Say it's cute.**

_**Say it.**_

**Review?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Natalia stops being a bitch! YAY!**

* * *

Tear woke up, blearily rubbing her eyes as she looked around groggily. Pushing the sheets away, she frowned, trying to think why that seemed so strange. Then she remembered.

'How did I get in last night?'

she wondered, a little surprised.

She sat up, shrugging, then grabbed her hairbrush and brushed her hair out. Today was a Sunday, which meant it was a free day all day.

As she stood up to head to the bathroom, it opened and a pale looking Natalia wobbled out. She looked at Tear with a flat glare then stumbled towards her bed, almost collapsing. Tear caught her, looking worried.

"Natalia? What happened? Are you alright?" she asked, concerned.

"S-Shut up, stupid commoner," Natalia murmured, then went green before throwing up. Tear gently rubbed circles on her back, then helped Natalia back to the bathroom. She grabbed some cleaning things and (with a bit of resignation and disgust) cleaned up the sick.

Chucking it all into the bin, she went back to the bathroom where Natalia was throwing up again. Tear grabbed a glass from the side, filling it with water and passing it over. Natalia took it, rinsing her mouth out before spitting it out and taking a long gulp.

"Now, what happened?" asked Tear gently as Natalia collapsed against the wall.

"Some.._idiot _spiked my drink..." Natalia muttered angrily.

_'Ahh...So she was drunk,' _Tear realised.

"Alright. Let's get you back to bed, okay? I'll find some aspirin, and you just take it easy until you're feeling a little better, alright?" she soothed, helping Natalia up. She considered, then sighed, leading her over to her own bed.

"What are you doing? I don't want to sleep in your manky sheets!" Natalia protested weakly.

Tear tried to think of a reasonable excuse. "You don't want to get sick on your own bed, do you?" she said finally. Natalia grumbled but agreed, allowing Tear to tuck her in. She went and fetched a bucket, putting it beside the bed, then went to the cabinet to try and find some aspirin.

Finally she returned with another glass of water, placing the glass down and getting a couple of the aspirin out.

"Alright, take these. Drink slowly, alright?" Tear murmured, helping Natalia swallow them. Finally she set the drink down, Natalia lying back in the sheets. The blonde looked up at Tear, her olive green eyes tired and a little confused.

"...Why are you helping me?" she asked finally.

"Huh?"

"Why are you helping me? After how I've treated you...you should hate me, shouldn't you? The other girl did. She let me get on with it by myself," Natalia murmured.

Tear blinked, then smiled. "I'm not going to make you deal with it by yourself. You're not well, and when someone is sick, they're looked after. Now, I'm going to go make you some food, unless you'd prefer something from the cafeteria?"

Natalia shook her head and Tear walked into the adjoining kitchen. Being rich apparently had its perks, such as a private kitchen in your dorm room. She set about making some food, making something easy on the stomach but that would help Natalia and fill her up.

Finally she came back, helping Natalia sit up before watching her carefully as she ate the food. When she was finished, she took the plate back and settled Natalia down, tucking her in again.

"You should go to sleep. It'll help if you can sleep it off properly," Tear murmured. Natalia nodded, half-asleep already, and soon had drifted off. Tear smiled then went back to the kitchen, making her own breakfast before washing up and packing everything away. She headed back to the room, smiling approvingly at the sleeping Natalia, then heard a knock on the door.

Walking over, she opened it and smiled as she spotted Luke.

"Hey Tear! I was wondering..." Luke began before Tear shushed him, motioning to Natalia. Luke looked confused, and she stepped outside before closing the door behind her.

"Sorry. Natalia got sick last night, so I'm looking after her. She needs rest, but she's only just fallen asleep," she explained quietly.

"Oh. Sorry," Luke murmured.

Tear shook her head. "It's okay. What did you need?" she asked.

"Dad said he's prepared your other room if you still want it," he explained.

Tear considered, glancing back at the closed door. "Maybe later. I want to make sure Natalia gets over this," she replied.

"Sure. I'll tell Dad," Luke replied with a smile.

As he started walking off, Tear called his name. "Luke!" He glanced back, looking confused. "How did I get back in last night?"

Luke blinked, then grinned. "Let's just say you're really light," he replied before running off before she could question him any further.

She sighed, heading back into the room. Making sure Natalia was still asleep, she grabbed some of her text books and sat on the floor, back against the wall as she read them.

A couple of hours later, she heard moving and looked up, watching as Natalia sat up. The blonde girl looked around blearily, then spotted Tear.

"Tear?" she asked, her voice quiet. She looked like a child, and Tear smiled gently before standing up.

"I'm here Natalia, don't worry," she soothed, walking over to her. As she drew close, Natalia suddenly threw herself into her arms, crying. Tear blinked in surprise, then smoothed her hair. "There there. Now what's the matter?" she asked, sitting down on the bed.

"I-I'm sorry...I was so mean..." Natalia cried. Tear blinked, confused. Why was she apologising for this now.

"It's alright...No harm done," she replied.

"Yes there was! I'm always like this, pushing everyone away, but you were still really nice to me! I-I don't understand how you can be so nice when I'm so horrible," she half shouted, half whispered, burying herself into Tear's arms.

Tear considered, then sighed. "I was going to change rooms," she said.

"I don't blame you..." Natalia murmured, then noticed how she'd phrased the sentence. "Was?"

"Yeah...But I'm not going to now."

"Why? You should! Y-You deserve better than this!"

Tear looked surprised at Natalia's outburst, then frowned. "Would you prefer if I did?" she asked gently.

Natalia blinked, then pulled away, bringing her knees to her chest. Tear waited patiently.

"...Yes," Natalia said finally, resignedly.

"That's a lie," Tear replied.

"No it's not!"

"Yes, it is. You don't want to be alone here, Natalia, but you're afraid to let anyone close. So you treat them badly until they leave. I imagine that Asch is the only person who never pushed you away?"

Natalia stared at Tear for a moment, then finally nodded. "Yeah...I treated him horribly, but he just snapped at me and said that he didn't understand why I was acting like a bitch when I wasn't one."

"See? You don't need to push everyone away, Natalia. Certainly not me, at least."

Natalia looked up at her, her eyes red from crying.

"Really?" she asked quietly.

Tear smiled gently. "Really. Now come on, it's nearly lunch. Let's get you cleaned up and head down, okay?"

Natalia hesitated then rubbed at her eyes, nodding and smiling gently. "Alright," she murmured, allowing Tear to help her up and go to the bathroom.

* * *

Standing outside the door, Luke turned to Asch. "See? I told you," he said.

Asch shook his head. "Fine. I assume she's passed yours, then?"

"Pretty much. Yours?"

Asch considered. "Not quite. You're too soft. We'll see how it goes," he replied, then walked off. Luke chuckled before following after him, glancing back at the door one last time.

* * *

**A/N: I would have put more in this chapter, but c'mon, you had 2000 words for the last two. Leave me alone!**

**Plus, y'know, the flow? Kinda wants to stop here for this chappy.**

**Review?**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Ion and Sync! YAY!**

* * *

Tear quickly found out just how nice Natalia could be. Underneath the mean, bratty, rich-kid exterior, she was very gentle and kind, often expressing concern for others but never showing it.

A lot of people didn't seem to understand how Tear could stand to be around Natalia, but they never stopped to ask, so Tear never gave an answer. Added to the fact that Luke and Asch also hung around with them a lot, they became a tight-knit group, and it became common to see the four of them around together.

One day, they were in their Fonic Artes lessons. Jade Curtiss, the teacher, finished writing up the explanation on the board.

"Alright then, everyone will be in pairs to practice this," he said. Everyone began to move towards their friends, grinning. "And _I _will be deciding the pairs," he finished, and everyone groaned before moving back to their seats.

As Jade began sorting out pairs, Tear found herself hoping that she be put with Natalia, Luke or even Asch.

"Mystearica, you go with...Ion."

Tear would have face palmed if it had been at all acceptable. Looking around, she tried to figure out who her partner was and caught a green haired and eyed boys' gaze. He smiled, giving a little wave, and she waved back.

"Alright everyone, get into your pairs," Jade said, and everyone stood up, heading for the person they had been paired with.

Tear joined Ion, sitting down beside him hesitantly. "Um, nice to meet you. I'm Tear," she said, holding out a hand.

"Ion," the boy replied with a smile, shaking.

"Alright everyone, go outside and practice this. I'll come and check on you in half an hour, and I don't want to find you ripping each other's throats out or slacking off."

Everyone filed out with the ominous warning, heading out into the grounds. Tear and Ion found a secluded area, sitting down.

"Do you know how to do it?" Tear asked hesitantly.

Ion nodded. "I've done it before, so don't worry. Here, I'll show you how," he offered, before coaching her through the incantation and runes. Finally Tear managed to pull it off, causing a large explosion, and he clapped.

"You really got the hang of that fast!" he said.

"Thanks to you," Tear replied with a smile, and Ion returned it. They sat down again, facing each other under the shade.

"So, Tear, why did you join our school?" Ion asked.

Tear blushed. "Well, um, my brother works here, and he said it would probably be good if I learnt how to fight here."

"Wow. Who is your brother?"

"Van..."

"Oh, Master Van? He's my dorm master!" Ion said with a smile.

"Really? You're in Daath?" Tear asked, surprised.

"Mm hmm!"

"How is it?"

Ion frowned. "Well...It's alright. But Master Van really pushes hard. He wants us to be able to fight the best we can." His face fell. "I think I'm a bit of a disappointment to him, to be honest. I'm not a very good fighter, though I'm pretty good with Fonic Artes. My twin, Sync, is a really good fighter and Fonic Artes user though, and we won't be apart, so he puts up with me."

Tear sighed. That sounded a lot like her brother. Intent on having an army of perfect fighters, and anyone else was useless. She just wondered who he wanted to fight.

"Well, I don't think you're useless. I've never met someone so good at Fonic Artes," Tear said with a smile.

Ion looked at her. "Really? Thank you," he said happily.

Tear glanced up at the large clock in the centre of the grounds. "Who do you sit with for lunch?" she asked.

"It's just Sync and I, usually."

Tear considered. "Why don't you come sit with us today? I'm sure the others won't mind. Natalia acts mean, but she's really soft."

Ion smiled. "Okay. Thank you."

"Are you two finished talking?" a voice asked behind them and they jumped, seeing Jade standing there. He gave a closed eye smile that was anything but pleasant. "I hope you're ready for the exam at the end of this lesson," he said quietly.

They gulped. "Y-Yes sir..." they replied together, watching him stride off to the next pair of chatting students.

"He's freaky," Tear murmured, and Ion giggled.

* * *

"Tear! Over here!" Luke called as they entered the cafeteria. Tear smiled, giving a little wave, and turned to the two green haired boys behind her.

"Why do I have to do this?" grumbled Sync, arms folded. Although they were similar, his hair was a different style from Ion's, so it was easy to tell them apart.

"You don't have to," Ion soothed. Sync glanced at him.

"Then why are we?"

"I wanted to try sitting with them today. If you don't want to, we won't, though," he said.

Sync looked at him a moment, eyes flickering to Tear, then sighed. "Fine. But if I don't like them, I'm leaving," he said shortly, before striding ahead. Tear and Ion shared a glance, before smiling and following.

Tear took her seat next to Natalia and across from Luke. "Guys, these are Ion and Sync. I said they could sit with us today, if that's okay?" she said, motioning to the twins.

Luke and Asch appeared apprehensive, eyeing them hesitantly. Ion smiled gently, and Sync turned away with his arms folded.

"...I guess," Luke replied finally, watching them sit down. Everyone started eating, Ion comfortably chatting with Tear and Natalia while Sync pretty much ignored them, only joining in when Ion prompted him to. The red headed twins didn't move their gaze from the green haired twins, and Tear wondered why they were suddenly so on guard.

Eventually though, they began to relax. Ion was nice, and obviously not a threat in their eyes, and Sync didn't seem to do anything that his twin would be unhappy with. Soon they were all happily chatting together, and Tear felt herself relaxing as her friends did.

As the last bell rang for the end of lunch, they stood up.

"Thank you for having us. I enjoyed myself," Ion said politely, bowing.

"So did we. Please, come sit with us any time," Tear replied with a smile. Ion nodded, looking at Sync who humphed.

"...Yeah. Whatever," he muttered, before the two of them walked off.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it," Tear said.

"I don't like people from Daath," growled Asch.

Natalia rolled her eyes, then looked at Tear. "They were really nice, especially Ion. Do you think they'll sit with us again?"

"I hope so."

"Me too. Well, I suppose we better get off to lessons. What do we have?" Natalia asked, looking over her shoulder at the timetable. Tear scanned it, spotting the one she needed.

"Well...I have Short Range Weaponry now..." she murmured.

"Ugh. That means I have _Legretta_," Natalia sighed. She stood up, waving to them as she headed off to her lesson.

Tear looked at Luke and Asch. "Asch, who do you have?"

"Largo," he replied shortly.

"Same as us," Luke clarified, then stood up. "We should get going. He doesn't like it when people are late."

* * *

They ran into the large practice hall just as Large strode through the other door.

"Alright class! Get into your battle positions, now!"

Everyone moved to their preferred area. For Luke and Asch, that was right at the front. For Tear, it was a little behind them and further towards the middle, where she could easily engage the enemy but use her healing artes if necessary.

"Battle stances!"

Everyone got into position, holding their weapons in front of them.

"And...strike!"

Tear lunged with her spear, allowing it to whistle through her grip before she grasped the end. If it had been an enemy, it should have gone right through.

"Return! And...strike!"

This continued on for a while, everyone moving in unison despite doing something different. Largo strode through them all, correcting postures and yelling at them if he felt they weren't putting enough effort in it.

As the end of the session drew near, everyone was panting, covered in sweat.

"Alright! You've practiced your strikes! Now, I need a volunteer to practice against me!"

Nobody offered, tittering nervously.

"If no one offers, I'm going to have to go with default!" Largo bellowed.

A few of the students grimaced, looking at the twins, who appeared resigned, but nobody offered.

"Alright then! Luke, Asch, come at me!"

The two boys sighed, stepping forward and lifting their weapons.

"What's default?" Tear asked the closest person to her, a blonde haired boy who stood at front.

"You don't know?" he asked, surprised.

Tear shook her head. "I'm new here," she explained.

The boy nodded, understanding. "Basically, default is when Largo selects Luke and Asch. He calls it default because they live here, so he feels they should have the best attacks. Then he humiliates them. He keeps going way after he would have stopped with anyone else, but he's merciless and it's painful, so people rarely offer." He glanced at the front, and nudged her. "Look, he's going to start now."

Tear looked at the front, watching as Luke and Asch stood, feet apart and expression grim as they braced themselves for whatever was coming. Largo picked up a staff, stepping towards them.

"Alright boys! Strike!" he snapped. They glanced at each other, closed their eyes, then lunged at him.

He batted their swords away easily with the pole, bringing it around and hitting Luke on his back. He gave a yelp, crashing into Asch and causing them both to fall onto the floor in a heap.

"Again!" Largo snapped, and they stood, retrieving their swords. "Strike!"

It continued for a good five minutes, each time the boys getting more tired, but the strikes from Largo getting heavier. Finally, after sending Asch crashing into Luke and them skidding halfway across the room, he lowered it.

"Alright! Practice your strikes! I'll see you here next lesson!" he ordered. Everyone nodded, quickly leaving, but Tear hurried over to where the boys were picking themselves up.

"Are you guys alright?" she asked, looking worried.

"We're fine," Luke replied with a tight smile, pushing himself up and wobbling slightly as he stood. He picked up his sword, sheathing it as Asch stood next to him and did the same.

The bruises on their arms looked painful, and Tear could only imagine what the ones on their backs looked like.

"How can you let him do that?" she asked quietly.

"Well, someone has to take the beating. We're default because we always offered; if someone else got picked, we'd stand in their place. So he just always makes us go," Luke replied with a shrug, wincing as he did.

"But..."

"Can we go already?" Asch snapped, leaving the room. Tear watched him go, and Luke smiled at her.

"It's okay. He just doesn't like being shown up," he explained, heading out. Tear followed beside him, eyeing him as he limped lightly.

_'Doesn't like being shown up? As if. He probably wanted to get out so that I didn't notice he took most of the falls for you,'_ she thought to herself.

* * *

**A/N: Awww, Largo's a bully. Poor Lukey! Poor Aschy!**

**Tear won't stand for that!**

**Review?**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Have some Lorelei angst! (And Lorelei past, but yeah)**

**Disclaimer: Nope, pretty sure I still don't own it.**

* * *

There was a knock at her door, and she looked up in confusion. Glancing over at the other bed, she saw Natalia sleeping lightly. She stood up, heading for the door, and opened it.

For a moment she was confused as to why Luke or Asch was standing outside her door, then recognised the golden eyes and realised it was Lorelei.

"Mr Lorelei! I'm sorry, I'll just go get changed," Tear apologised, turning red.

"Yes, go ahead. I'll wait here," he replied with a chuckle. She quickly closed the door, making sure not to slam it, then hurriedly got changed. Finally she went back to the door, stepping out and closing it behind her.

"Sorry Mr Lorelei. I'm ready now," she murmured, embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it. At least you're not like my stupid sons; they just slam the door in my face and take as long as possible," Lorelei said with a sigh as they started walking down the hallway.

"Even Luke?" Tear asked, surprised.

Lorelei considered. "Okay, maybe Asch does all the slamming. Luke just kind of stares blankly while whoever his roommate is gapes."

Tear giggled as they stepped outside. The moon was high in the sky, and she smiled happily.

"I really like it out here at night," she murmured.

"Yes..It's beautiful, isn't it? My wife always loved it as well. I remember many a picnic sitting underneath the cherry blossoms with the moon in the sky," Lorelei sighed.

Tear glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "If you don't mind me asking, sir, what was your wife like?"

Lorelei laughed. "I don't mind. And please, call me Lorelei when we're not in public. I hate the whole 'sir' and 'Mr Lorelei'," he said with a grin.

Tear blushed, but nodded. "Okay then sir...Lorelei."

Lorelei nodded. "Good. Now, my wife...Well, I suppose I'll say what any good husband would; she was very beautiful. She had short red hair and the most amazing green eyes. When I first laid eyes on her, I loved her."

Tear listened, wide eyed. Who knew the great Lorelei was a romantist!?

"Of course, she didn't accept me straight away...She referred to me as a 'pervert' on many occasions," Lorelei added with a laugh. His eyes grew gentle, and he smiled. "But eventually, something happened and we ended up loving each other. She told me on our wedding day that she had always loved me, but was certain that I would not love her, so pushed me away."

"She sounds like Natalia," Tear said with a giggle.

"Yes, I suppose she does, doesn't she? Asch and Natalia are very like me and my wife. Anyway, she was always very stubborn in what she believed was right, but she was gentle as well. She bullied people if she felt she needed to, but preferred to just listen and wait until they saw the reason of her statements. She adored Luke and Asch; I don't think I've ever seen her happier than when she was with them. She was also very active. She loved playing and cooking...though she wasn't particularly good."

Lorelei came to a halt, his eyes distant. Tear stopped beside him, gazing up at him. He seemed lost in his memories, a deep sadness behind his golden eyes that she hadn't seen before.

"Our family nearly collapsed when she died. I was...depressed, I suppose. I saw no reason to continue. Asch became withdrawn, not speaking to anyone. But Luke...he just tried so hard to continue, to keep us all going. He dragged us outside and made us play with him, even when we didn't play properly. It was only thanks to his stubbornness and a very close friend of mine that our family managed to get back together."

Lorelei continued to stare at nothing, then blinked and looked at her. The pain was perfectly masked again, a relaxed grin on his face.

"But I don't want to bore you with details! There was a reason I dragged you out this late other than to chat."

Tear hurried after him as he continued stride off.

"I'm aware that you're a Seventh Fonist?" he said, looking at her.

"Yeah."

"Well, as you probably know, our only Fonic Artes teacher can only do up to Sixth, so our potential Seventh Fonists never actually realise or never get their ability enhanced. I, however, am willing to teach any who want it."

Tear blinked. She'd automatically assumed that she would have to try and learn about the Seventh Fonon by herself. The fact that Lorelei was willing to _teach_ her, and anyone else who wanted it, was something she hadn't been expected.

"I-I'd be honoured," she stammered.

Lorelei smiled. "I thought you might accept. Well, do you think you could ask Natalia for me as well? That girl can be temperamental at best, and she seems to have taken a shine to you."

Tear nodded. "Alright. Thank you s..Lorelei," she said with a smile.

"You should get back to bed. You still have lessons tomorrow," Lorelei pointed out, and Tear nodded.

"I will. Good night," she said, turning and hurrying back to the dorm.

Lorelei watched her go, and sighed. "She has your smile," he said, turning. Yulia stepped out from behind the pillar, gazing after the quickly disappearing Tear.

"Thank you," she murmured to Lorelei.

"Anything, Yulia. But why don't you just talk to her? I know it's difficult, but holding it off will only make it more so."

Yulia nodded sadly. "I know. But...maybe it would be better for her, if I remained simply a shadow of her past.."

Lorelei shook his head. "She needs a family, Yulia. Asch and Luke and I can only do so much. _You _have to fill in that gap left by a mother."

Yulia looked resigned. "I understand," she murmured, then drifted off, deep in her thoughts.

Lorelei watched her go. "But do you?" he murmured to the empty air.

* * *

"One day, you may find yourself in an unpredictable position that does not suit you. Captured by the enemy, stuck behind enemy lines, you against several others. I cannot help you with all. What I can help you with..is escaping enemy clutches."

Tear listened as the Escapism teacher, Nephry Osborne, explained to the class about how to escape from certain kinds of restraints, or how to make it so you weren't caught in the first place.

She found the lesson interesting, to be honest. Nephry had a way of talking that made you pay attention. Well, it made most of them pay attention. She pulled a face as Luke's nodding head finally hit her shoulder.

She sighed inaudibly. This happened every lesson; Nephry started talking, Luke got tired, fell asleep on _her _shoulder, and then Nephry woke him up.

Ten minutes after Luke had fallen asleep, emitting soft snores, she heard the familiar _tap tap _of Nephry's heeled shoes. The teacher stopped in front of them, looking down at Luke in distaste.

"How long?" she asked Tear.

"Ten minutes," Tear replied, eyeing Luke.

"Huh. He's getting better," muttered Nephry, then sighed before raising her book. Tear raised her hands, covering her ears, before Nephry slammed it down on the table.

Anyone in the immediate vicinity jumped, yelping and leaping away despite being prepared for it. Luke gave a startled yell, slipping off Tear's shoulder and crashing to the floor, the chair landing on top of him.

"Had a nice nap, Luke?" Nephry asked icily. Luke laughed awkwardly from the floor.

"Sorry.." he mumbled.

"Yes, well, seeing as you find the floor so comfortable, you can remain down there, in that position, for the rest of the lesson," she snapped.

Luke sighed, and Tear watched as Nephry walked back to the front, resuming her lecture. A few people glanced at Luke then eventually settled down, and soon everybody had forgotten about him.

When the lesson finally ended, Tear stood up and pushed her chair under. Luke groaned she pushed the chair off his legs, and stood up, wincing as his cramped muscles finally moved.

"Thanks," he murmured, mutely death-glaring Nephry as she walked out of the room. Tear knew she noticed, but she didn't say anything.

"Come on, the others are probably waiting for us," she said, leading the way out, though their pace was considerably slowed as Luke got his legs to work properly.

* * *

**A/N: Yay for angst!**

**I dunno, I seem to usually write angst. Maybe I'm an angsty person.**

**Review?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So, this chapter may be a little bit confusing and pointless, but believe me, it has everything to do with the plot! This chapter may be the most PLOT FILLED chapter I have EVER written!**

* * *

"Hey guys!" Tear called as they walked into the grounds. The others looked up, smiling.

"Hey. How was your lesson?" asked Natalia as they joined them.

"It was alright. Luke fell asleep again," Tear replied, and Luke gave a grumble. Ion laughed while Asch rolled his eyes.

"What did she do today?" asked Ion.

"Made him stay on the floor with the chair on his legs," Tear explained.

"Alright alright. Enough about me," Luke muttered.

"Maybe if you actually paid attention, you wouldn't be stuck in these embarrassing positions," Asch pointed out, eyebrow raised. Luke stuck his tongue out.

"Come on, let's just get going," he sighed, turning. He suddenly tripped over, groaning, and everyone else laughed before filing past him.

"Come on, let's get going," Natalia mimicked, causing them to laugh again.

"Damn it.." he sighed as he sat up, rubbing his head. Looking up at them with a pout, he suddenly paled, his eyes wide. Nervous laughter filtered through the group, then faded as Luke didn't move.

"Luke?" asked Natalia hesitantly. He didn't reply, staring at whatever was in front of him.

"Luke, stop it. This isn't funny," Tear said, her heart speeding up. Why was he just staring like that?

Luke's breathing suddenly sped up, and he hesitantly reached forward.

"M-Mum..." he whispered. Asch stiffened, staring at Luke. Luke suddenly flinched, drawing back and looking around in confusion, eyes desperate. Finally he slumped, eyes dark.

Tear bent down in front of him. "Luke?" she asked quietly. His eyes flickered up to meet her own, and she saw the same, raw pain that she had seen in Lorelei a couple of nights ago.

His eyes slid away, searching desperately again, and Tear grasped his hand.

"Luke, look at me," she ordered, and his gaze slid back to her. "She's not here. Listen, Luke!" she said again, as he started shaking his head. "She's _not here. _I know it hurts. But you have to get over it, at least for now," she murmured.

Luke looked ready to break down. Glancing at Asch, she saw that he looked crestfallen, subconsciously rubbing his arms to calm himself down. Glancing at the others, she saw their confused and concerned looks.

"I'm going to take these guys somewhere else to calm down, okay? Can you tell their teachers that they'll be skipping the lesson?" she asked. The group nodded, watching as Tear stood up and helped Luke up, grabbing Asch's wrist and pushing Luke ahead of her as she led them off.

Finally they reached the clearing Luke had shown her the other night, and sat Luke down. Stepping back, she eyed them hesitantly.

"Um...Asch, can I borrow your phone?" she asked, finally deciding Luke was in no condition to even listen to her.

Asch blinked, glanced at her like he hadn't realised she was there, then pulled his phone out and passed it to her. She took it, looking through it and finding the number she needed. Pressing the dial button, she held it up to her ear and waited.

It soon picked up. _"Hey Asch. Why're you calling at this time..."_

"Lorelei, it's me, Tear."

Lorelei was silent for a moment, and when he next spoke, his tone was serious. _"What happened?"_ he asked.

"I'm not sure. Luke tripped over, then when he was about to start complaining he went completely white. He didn't hear any of us, and apparently he saw their mother. As soon as he said that, Asch completely blanked. I'm not getting much of a reaction out of either of them, though Asch is more receptive."

Lorelei gave a hum, and she could hear him tapping the desk.

_"Alright. I'll be down in a moment. Can you keep an eye on them? Make sure they don't do anything rash."_

"Of course," she replied. The phone clicked off and she held it out for Asch. He stared at her blankly. "Your phone," she explained, and he blinked before nodding, taking it and slipping it into his pocket.

She sat down a little way away, watching them carefully. Asch was at least showing interest in his surroundings, though he looked a little confused. Luke just stared blankly at the floor.

She heard soft footsteps and looked up as Lorelei entered the clearing. He saw her and smiled softly, then moved over to the two boys.

"Luke, Asch," he murmured, and the two boys looked up at their names. Spotting Lorelei, Tear watched in surprise as their walls came tumbling down.

Luke leapt at Lorelei, starting to cry. Lorelei held him gently, looking over at Asch and holding out an arm. Asch hesitated then also buried himself into Lorelei's chest, his body shaking lightly.

_'Is this what it's like to lose a loved one? To..have parents that care about you and will support you?' _Tear wondered to herself. An old, aching pain washed over her, and she looked away, willing away the tears that gathered in her eyes.

It was a stupid feeling, one she'd had since she was little girl. The desperation to have loving parents...but she knew it was something that would likely never be granted. They'd died, she was sure of it, and Van didn't count as a 'loving family'.

A tear slipped down her cheek, but she rubbed it away. She couldn't show weakness, not now. Luke, at least, would need her to be strong.

She heard footsteps coming towards her and wondered if Lorelei was coming over. They knelt down, and a gentle hand reached out, briefly pushing her fringe from her eye.

"Are you alright?" a gentle voice asked, and she blinked before looking round. A beautiful woman with golden brown hair and blue eyes smiled at her.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine. Sorry," Tear said, rubbing at her eyes again.

"It's alright. Lorelei can take care of the boys," the woman soothed.

"I know. But it's nothing important," Tear murmured.

"Well...maybe it would help if you talked about it? A lot of problems can be resolved if you just talk through them with someone."

Tear sighed, hugging herself. "It's just...I never knew my parents. And my older brother was rarely at home. I pretty much raised myself, but it just..gets a little lonely sometimes." The woman stiffened, but Tear didn't notice. "I just wish that I could meet my parents one day...but they're probably dead. I mean, what other reason could they have to never come home?"

The woman sat down lightly beside her. "Maybe they were busy?"

"But they left when I was _two. _It's been fifteen years already."

"That long, huh.." the woman murmured, eyes distant.

Tear shook her head. "Sorry. I didn't mean to force that on you. It's not your problem, after all," she said with a forced laugh.

The woman sighed, glancing away. "I suppose it's been long enough," she murmured. Tear looked at her in confusion, and the woman caught her glance before giving a soft smile. "Sweetie..." She trailed off, trying to find the words, a way to say it that wouldn't end with Tear hating her.

"Yes?" Tear prompted. An inkling of an idea was entering her, and she wanted to know if she was correct.

"Sweetie...My name is Yulia. I'm...your mother."

Tear let that sink in, then took a deep breath to control herself. Tilting her head, she looked at Yulia, eyes taking her in.

"...Why did you wait so long?"

Yulia blinked, obviously not expecting that to be her question.

"Huh?"

"Why did you wait so long to tell me?" Tear re-iterated.

"Oh...I'm not sure. I was nervous, scared. I..didn't want you to hate me. Though you have every right to!" Yulia added hurriedly, then went back to staring at the lake. "But it was just so...awkward, I suppose."

Tear took this in. "Why did you leave? And why did you never come back?"

Here Yulia sighed. "Your father was weak. He had a serious illness. I wanted to try and find a cure for him, and went searching, but he followed. He pushed himself too far, and died. I was devastated, so I went back to my friend and his wife. I've lived here with Lorelei almost as long as Luke and Asch have while he helped me get over my loss. And just as I finally came to terms with mine, he had his, and I stayed to help him get over it like he did with me."

Yulia suddenly smiled, looking at Tear. "I'd been trying to come up with an excuse to finally go home, when we received your application. Van asked Lorelei to let you come, but Lorelei had already decided you'd be accepted. And a good thing too," Yulia added, looking over at the twins. "They've never been able to open up to me like Luke has to you. Asch is still cut off, but I hope one day he'll find someone he can talk to."

Tear nodded, then glanced at Yulia. "You know, I'm still kinda mad at you," she murmured.

"As you should be," Yulia conceded.

"But...I'm kinda happy as well," she murmured, and Yulia looked confused. Tear smiled. "Well, I've always wanted a mum or a dad. Now I've got my mum back."

* * *

**A/N: See? Do you see that PLOTNESS?!**

**Review?**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: And now a slighly plot-filled but mainly just Luke/Asch/Lorelei relationship chapter!**

**Special thanks to SonicGirl2002 who leaves the most awesome reviews ever! Thanks so much!**

* * *

Tear walked along the hallway, Natalia at her side.

"Are you sure about this? I mean, why would the headmaster teach _us_?" Natalia asked.

"I'm sure, Natalia. And I told you, he said because we don't have a Seventh Fonist teacher, he'd help us improve our abilities."

Natalia followed her down the hallway, and eventually they reached the office. Tear reached out, knocking on the door.

"Come in," a voice called, and they pushed the door open before stepping inside.

"Ah, Tear, Natalia. Glad you could join us," Lorelei said with a smile, motioning to the seats, where a few other students were sitting. They sat down, Natalia hesitantly. Tear noticed that Asch and Luke were also there, sitting behind the counter. Whatever they'd been doing, Tear decided she didn't want to know; Luke was sitting on Asch's lap, and the two looked vaguely embarrassed.

"Is anyone else coming along?" asked Tear.

"A few," Lorelei replied vaguely, and they glanced at each other. A knock came at the door, and it opened. Ion and Sync stepped in, looking around, and Ion smiled as he recognised them.

"Ion, Sync, glad you could join us," Lorelei said, nodding to the chairs. They sat down, Ion greeting the others.

"Arietta will be along in a minute," Sync muttered, and Lorelei nodded. They waited in silence, then the door opened a girl with pink hair and eyes entered, along with a couple of other students. They greeted the headmaster then took a few seats, sitting there awkwardly.

Tear glanced at the two red heads, the surlier of which was now death-glaring the three new students.

"Dad," he hissed, and Lorelei turned.

"Yes, Asch?"

Asch glanced at the students, then got up, causing Luke to crash to the floor, and whispered into Lorelei's ear. Lorelei blinked, then smirked.

"Jealous?"

"As if! It's just not strategic!"

"Asch, your worries are unfounded. I've already told you that Van-" He cut himself off, looking around at the group, then looked back at Asch. "We'll talk about it later," he said shortly, before standing up. "Welcome, everyone! There are a few less students that I would have preferred, but no matter. Now, you're here to be taught about the Seventh Fonons. This class is optional, and you can drop out at any time. Likewise, if you find anyone who is a Seventh Fonist and wants to join, they can come along."

Everyone nodded, a few people looking relieved, and others uncomfortable.

"Now, to begin with, how many of you have used the Seventh Fonon before?"

A few people raised their hands, Tear and Natalia included. Ion did as well, though Sync kept his hand down, looking embarrassed.

"No worries. You're here to see if you have the ability to use the Seventh Fonon - and if not, there's no reason for you not to come, if you want," Lorelei replied.

The students nodded again, starting to look a little more relaxed.

"Now! Who knows what a hyperresonance is?"

Only Asch and Luke raised their hands, both looking a little bored.

"Excellent! At least now I know what I can teach you," Lorelei said with a laugh. A few nervous titters ran through the group, and he gave an inaudible sigh. "Okay then. A hyperresonance is when two Seventh Fonists come together, using the fonons together and melding them together to form a powerful burst of energy. It is an extremely difficult ability, and rare. There are rumours that some people can cause a hyperresonance by themselves, but there's no way to know for sure.

A second order hyperresonance is when two hyperresonances are used at the exact same time and meld together. Again, only a theory, and it's never happened."

The group looked a little confused, but Tear watched as Luke and Asch started pulling faces at each other.

"Shut up," Luke muttered finally, kicking him, then leant back on the large chair behind the desk and put his feet up on the table.

"Now, the Seventh Fonon is mainly used for healing artes. Useful, especially in the midst of battle when you don't have time to use healing items. The severity of the injury depends on your skill and energy; if you are a fully recharged, very skilled Seventh Fonist, you could probably heal even fatal injuries. If you are unskilled, and exhausted, you may only be able to handle minor cuts."

Lorelei, still standing, met everyone's gazes. They squirmed under his golden eyed stare, then he turned abruptly and smacked Luke's feet off the table.

"Ow! What was that for!" Luke demanded.

Lorelei gave him a flat stare then turned back to the others.

"Who has experience using the Seventh Fonon to heal?" he asked. Tear raised her hand, as did Natalia. Two other students did as well. Tear watched in surprise as Ion, Luke and Asch kept their hands down.

"Tear, I'm not surprised...Natalia, again, obvious...Shawn, a little unexpected...Lily, expected," Lorelei murmured, then nodded.

"A few of you may have used the Seventh Fonon for something else. Being able to use the Seventh Fonon for attack is something that only extremely skilled Artes users can manage, though if you are powerful enough, it's possible to use it by accident." Lorelei glanced at Ion. "Ion, you've been raised by the church, so it's expected for you to be able to use the Daathic Fonic Artes," he added.

Tear frowned as he didn't mention Luke and Asch, but she supposed it was probably more due to family matters.

"When using the Seventh Fonon, you have to be precise. If it is uncontrolled, it can have disastrous consequences. Especially when using a hyperresonance."

Both red heads perked up, sitting straighter as they listened to him.

"Before you try using a lot of Seventh Fonons, you have to make sure you have perfect control over them. Never take on more than you can manage. If you think it's going out of control, cancel it. If you don't spontaneously combust, everything else will.

This also applies if you aren't a Seventh Fonist. If a non-Seventh Fonist tries to use Seventh Fonons, they may go out of control. If you feel that happening, _stop._ There is no telling what may happen. Don't try to wrestle control back, _it won't work._ I had a friend who tried it once, and ended up killing his mentor and nearly himself."

The room was quiet, taking that information in.

Lorelei smiled. "But, if we're sensible, that won't happen. Now, who wants to have a go?"

Not surprisingly, the room was silent, everyone looking a little worried. Lorelei laughed.

"Why am I not surprised? Alright, let's take Largo's idea and set up a default," he decided. Everyone looked at the two red heads, who looked at Lorelei. "How about...Tear?"

Tear blinked, then nodded slowly. "Um, okay.." she murmured.

"Stand up," Lorelei prompted, and Tear stood hesitantly. He looked over at Asch, and nodded. Asch sighed then also stood opposite her. He pulled out a knife from his pack, and Tear stared at him, wondering what he was planning to do with it.

Asch raised the knife, glanced at Lorelei, who nodded.

"You're so damn annoying," Asch muttered, then gave himself a light cut on his arm.

Tear blinked, then looked at Lorelei. "Heal it," he said, motioning to the cut.

Tear nodded, and raised her hands. Giving a short incantation, she felt power flood her and then a light came from her hands, healing the cut. Asch rolled his shoulder, then nodded.

"Excellent Tear. Well done," Lorelei said, and Tear sat down again, going red as everyone looked at her in awe. "Now, you used a certain incantation, correct?" Lorelei said.

Tear nodded. "One I was taught by my Grandfather," she explained.

"Alright then. Why don't you repeat it for the whole group?" Lorelei suggested, sitting back.

"Um...I just say '_O healing power... First Aid_'," she said.

"And then what do you do?"

"I...kinda control the fonons and...ask them to heal him."

Lorelei nodded. "That sounds about right. What you use is a very basic healing spell, which can be learnt by most people as long as they have the ability to use Seventh Fonons. Now, I want you to all practice saying the incantation."

Everyone began to mumble it quietly, only trying half-heartedly. Lorelei watched them with a weary expression, then finally clapped his hands.

"Alright alright. Enough. It's late, so go back to bed and practice this for next week's session," he called.

Everyone stood up, giving mumbled goodbyes and heading out of the room. Tear and Natalia waved to the three red heads before closing the door behind them and heading back to their dorm.

Waiting until the last footfalls had faded away, Luke looked at Lorelei.

"So, Dad. Rumours there are some people who can cause hyperresonances by themselves, huh?" he said with a smirk.

Lorelei snorted, sitting down on one of the sofas heavily. He picked up the nearest book, chucking it at Luke, who ducked easily.

"Well, it's true. Might as well give them the idea now," he replied with a shrug.

"Yeah, but that's kinda pushing it. What if someone works out we can do it?" asked Asch, lounging on another chair.

"Then we'll deal with it," Lorelei replied with a wave of his hand.

"Wow Dad. That's _super_ mature," Luke drawled, and ducked another book.

"Don't you two have things to be doing?" asked Lorelei irritably.

"What, other than winding you up?" Asch asked.

"No, not really," Luke replied.

"Ugh. Of all the people, I had to have _you _two as my sons," he sighed, lying back on the sofa.

"Aww, Daddy! That's so cruel! We're only following by example," teased Luke, and dived as three books came at him one after the other.

"Well, Luke is, anyway. But what can you expect from an idiot like him?" Asch sighed, then laughed as Luke leapt at him.

"What was that?!" demanded Luke, chasing after him. Lorelei watched them through half-closed lids, golden eyes hard. Finally he sat up, stretching.

"Come on, we should get to bed. Rest is the best cure for injuries, after all," he said mildly, noting the guilty look the boys exchanged, before they followed him out meekly.

* * *

**A/N: Lorelei. Knows. ****_Everything._**

**Review?**


	8. Chapter 8

A month passed, Tear settling in comfortably with the busy school life of the academy. She somehow managed to keep up with the mass of work that the teachers piled on her, though she had help from her friends as well.

As time passed, she began to see how differently Luke and Asch were treated. Sometimes the teachers desperately tried to suck up to them, giving them extra credit for no reason or showering them in compliments. A few, however, treated them like they treated everyone else, and somehow, the boys seemed grateful for that.

The attitudes of the students also varied. Either they desperately crowded them, trying to be their friend so that they could get 'benefits', or they outright hated them. Tear was starting to see why Asch was so hesitant around other students.

It was Short Range Weaponry, and everyone had been paired up. Once again, Tear found herself with someone she didn't know; or rather, that she had talked to. It turned out his name was Gailardia, but he preferred to be called Guy. He used to rather thin sword without a shield, a style called the Sigmund Style apparently learnt from his home country.

The two of them quickly got on, happily chatting as they exchanged blows.

"So Tear, can you use Fonic Artes?" Guy asked as he blocked a strike from her and retaliated.

"Yeah, though I mainly use healing artes. What about you?"

"Nah..Never been able to, doubt I ever will. I prefer Fon Machines."

"Yeah, Luke said he had a friend in Fon Machines...is the teacher really as weird as he says?"

"Who, Dist? Yeah, he's weird. He's obsessed with machines, and seems to be in some sort of rivalry with Jade...I think they're competing on who can get more students in their class, though Jade has more because a lot of people naturally have the ability to use Fonic Artes and so need to learn."

"Sound tough."

"I dunno, Dist is a good teacher and all, but he doesn't take very much seriously. I don't think he cares much, actually. But enough about that. So, where are you from?"

"Yulia City."

"Really? Cool. I've never met anyone from there before. What's it like?"

"Pretty dreary. We don't get much sunlight, and it's cold too, plus barely anyone lives there."

"Oh. Sounds like a drag."

"It is. That's partly why I'm glad I got to come here; I finally got away from the depressing place."

"Alright students! Rest!"

Everyone lowered their weapons, panting and wiping the sweat away. They congratulated their partner then moved back towards the centre.

"Alright then, let's see what you've learnt. Any volunteers?" Largo asked with a grin. No one offered, and his grin widened. "Well then I guess we'll just go by default.."

Tear thought of the dark bruises she had seen, and stepped forward. "I volunteer," she said strongly. The students gasped, muttering to each other.

"Tear! What are you doing?!" hissed Luke, looking at Largo worriedly.

Tear shrugged. "Who knows," she replied before walking forward to stand in front of him. She raised her spear, expression set.

Largo laughed, then looked around. "Anyone else?!" he called. There was silence for a moment, then Guy stepped forward.

"Sure, why not? I've always wondered what it'd be like fighting you," he said, standing beside Tear and drawing his sword.

"You don't have to," Tear murmured.

"Guess what? I want to," Guy replied with a smirk.

"I'll fight," said a voice, and they turned as Sync stepped out, standing on the other side of Tear.

"Sync?" Tear asked, surprised. He glanced at her, then gave a slight smile.

"Can't let you take all the glory now can I?" he said.

Luke looked worried, and even Asch seemed vaguely concerned. "Wait! I call default!" Luke called.

"Well, unfortunately, they're volunteers. No default allowed," Largo replied with a nasty grin. The boys shared a glance then moved forward, and he stopped them with his staff. "No joining in either. Default isn't allowed to volunteer."

He faced the three students, taking them in. Their faces were set, obviously ready to fight him.

"Alright then! Let's get on with it!" he roared, before charging.

The three kids dodged to the sides, attacking from either side and behind. Largo blocked their attacks, pushing them back. They continued to attack, leaping around as they dodged his attacks, though taking the brunt of several themselves.

As Largo blocked one of Guy's attacks and threw him back into Tear, Sync suddenly dived forward for the opening he had spotted. Largo blinked, and Sync nearly managed it, before he brought his staff round. He caught the green haired boy in the stomach, bringing him round and flying into the recovering Tear and Guy. As they struggled to get up, Largo lowered his staff towards them, and they froze, looking up at him.

He gazed at them for a moment, then smirked. "Good job. I hope to see improvement next time, though," he congratulated, then turned away. "Dismissed!" he bellowed, and everyone hurried from the room.

Luke and Asch ran over to the felled teens, kneeling beside them. "Are you guys alright?" Luke asked, scanning over them.

"We're fine. It's only a few bruises anyway," Sync replied shortly as he stood up, dusting himself off. Guy also stood, rolling his shoulder.

"Man, he can pack a punch! I almost want to fight him again," he said with a laugh.

Luke reached down, offering Tear his hand, and she smiled before taking it and allowing him to help her up.

"Why did you do that?" he asked quietly.

"Do what?" she asked.

"You know...volunteer instead of letting us do default."

"I have no idea what you mean. I just wanted to try fighting him," Tear replied, flicking her hair back and turning to the Guy and Sync. Asch joined Luke's side, gazing at her in disbelief.

"S-She just totally...!" Luke gaped.

Asch patted his shoulder. "It's alright, little brother. When a woman beats you in an argument, it just goes to show who's in charge of the relationship," he said, before walking off.

"H-Hey!" Luke yelled after him, and Asch gave a vague wave before catching up to the others. He stared after them, then felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Largo grinning down at him.

"Your brother's right," he said with a laugh before striding off, leaving Luke in his pit of disbelief.

* * *

"Hey guys!" Tear called as they entered the cafeteria. Natalia and Ion waved back, watching as they walked over then blinking as Guy sat down with them.

"Oh, hello. I don't think we've met," Ion said politely to the blonde boy.

"I'm Gailardia, but call me Guy," Guy replied with a grin.

"Ion," Ion replied, the two shaking hands.

Tear took her seat next to Natalia, who looked at her in surprise. "How come Guy is joining us today?" she asked.

"Oh, I just figured he might like to and he said he would," Tear replied with a shrug. Natalia nodded skeptically, eyeing the two red heads who had just joined them.

"So, Luke, Asch, I notice an absence of bruises," she noted.

"I'd imagine so, yes," Asch replied.

"Care to explain?"

"Not especially."

"Mm-hmm..." Natalia hummed, looking from Tear to Guy, then nodding. "Oh, I see. So Tear stepped in for you and Guy fought as well, huh? Looks like Sync joined in too," she deduced. The others looked at her in surprise, and she humphed. "What? I'm not as stupid as I look," she said.

"I beg to differ.." Luke muttered, then jumped as bread roll hit his head. "Really Natalia?!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Natalia replied, calmly eating her food.

"Ugh, first Tear, now you? What is it with girls!" Luke groaned, face-planting into the table. Everyone paused, looking at him. "Ow." They nodded and went back to what they were doing, allowing him to wallow in his pain.

Tear was happily chatting away with Natalia when she heard a click. Reacting on instinct from days of training, she summoned her spear and sent it up, so that the edge pointed against the throat of the woman behind her. Everyone went silent, staring.

"M-Miss Legretta?" asked Natalia hesitantly, a little worried about the fact that her teacher was pointing a weapon at her best friend and vice versa.

The two women glared at each other a moment, then Legretta smiled.

"Reflexes are as sharp as ever, Mystearica."

Tear smiled, lowering her spear, then flinched as the gun was pressed against her forehead.

"But you shouldn't let your guard down so easily," Legretta murmured, before pocketing the gun.

"Right. Sorry, Legretta," Tear replied.

"That's beside the point. It's good to see you, Mystearica," Legretta said.

"And you, Legretta."

"You've certainly grown since the last time I saw you," Legretta noted, looking her up and down. She glanced around their table. "An interesting choice in friends as well. A mixture of Daath, Kimlasca and Malkuth? I don't believe I've ever seen such an odd group."

"I prefer to think of it as 'finding friends within your enemies'," Tear replied with a smirk, and Legretta gave a barking laugh.

"That's my girl. Now, I've got to get going. Your brother sends his regards."

The group watched the gun-wielding teacher walk off, before turning to Tear.

"You know Miss Legretta?" Natalia asked in surprise.

Tear nodded. "She came to visit me with my brother a lot when I was little, and she trained me for a while as well."

"Wow..Miss Legretta's really strict, I've never seen her compliment anyone before," Natalia mused.

"You just have to know how to impress her," Tear explained.

"Do you think you could tell me?"

"Sure. See, if she wants you to..."

The two girls were soon engrossed in conversation, leaving the boys to their own devices.

Luke shrugged then turned back, grinning at Guy. "So, Guy, how come you've been so distant lately?" he asked.

"You know how it is, Luke. School work, being ordered around by Peony, avoiding the mob of fan girls.." Luke jabbed him in the side and he gave a laugh, pushing him back. "Alright, so maybe not fan girls, but I really have been busy," he said.

"Well, I hope you don't start again. It's weird not having you around."

"It's only because he spoils you so much. If he wasn't around, you'd do a lot more work," Asch said playfully, catching the thrown bread roll and eating it, despite Luke's icy glare.

"You two know each other?" Ion asked, surprised. Guy nodded.

"Yeah, I've been here a while. My home got burned down, so Lorelei offered me a place to stay here. I've been helping look after Luke and Asch since they were kids," he explained.

"What, so you're a servant?" asked Sync.

"Not exactly...more a guardian."

"But you do servant stuff," Sync deadpanned.

Guy laughed. "I suppose it does sound a bit complicated, huh?" he agreed, continuing to eat, but not explaining any further. Sync made a disgruntled noise and Ion giggled, before they also carried on eating.

* * *

**A/N: Feel that fluff! And is the fight scene okay? I couldn't really picture it in detail...**

**Review?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: And Tear finally gets Yulia's Hymns!**

* * *

During lunch a couple of weeks later, Tear idly noted that their group was really starting to grow.

Guy had come over one lunch time with a girl in tow. Ignoring the playful jabs from the rest of them, he explained that she was his cousin, Jozette Cecille. Jozette settled in well, and hit it off with the only other girls in their small group. Luke noted a couple of days afterwards that they were getting cut off from the girls more and more each day, then ducked as several books went flying at him.

Jozette had come up one day with another boy, explaining that he was her boyfriend and she wanted him to meet her new friends. His name was Aslan Frings, another person from Malkuth, and after Guy had introduced him, he easily settled in with the others.

And now their group had become nine.

They were starting to attract attention around school as well. People from the Long Ranged Class recognised Tear, Guy and Sync as the ones who had offered to go against Largo - and been complimented for it. Luke and Asch were already well known, Ion was recognised as an extremely strong Seventh Fonist, and Natalia had a reputation of bitchiness, despite having practically turned it around. It turned out Jozette and Aslan also both had reputations for being brilliant tacticians, a thing that Peony took great pride in. Tear found it was becoming more and more often that someone would call out a greeting to them, even if they didn't know who they were.

That didn't mean the teachers went any easier on them though. If anything, they were a little tougher, and Tear found herself wishing she could go back to that unknown status as 'the new girl'. She'd only been there for two months, after all, it wasn't like she really understood much.

As Tear lay on her bed, going over the homework Nephry had set for them, she heard a knock on the door. Natalia went up to the door, opening it, and Tear craned her neck to see who it was.

"Hello dear. Is Tear with you?" a gentle voice asked, and Tear blinked before jumping off her bed.

"Mum!" she said happily, running to the door. Natalia stepped aside and Tear threw herself into Yulia's arms.

Yulia gave a laugh, hugging her back. "Hello sweetie. I'm not disturbing you, am I?" she asked. Tear shook her head.

"Not really. Did you need something?" she asked.

"I just wondered if you wanted to come out for a bit today. I know we haven't been able to be together much, but I have some free time right now."

"Sure!" Tear replied, grabbing her coat. She hurried out after Yulia, closing the door behind her after a quick wave to Natalia.

Yulia led her outside. The sun was still in the sky, but the sky was darkening as it set. Yulia walked over to a fountain and sat on the side, patting the stone beside her so that Tear could sit down. Tear joined her, looking at her in confusion.

Yulia looked at her and smiled. "I assume you're being taught Fonic Hymns?" she asked.

Tear nodded. "They're a bit difficult and it's hard to remember them all, but I'm doing okay."

Yulia gave a slow nod. "Yes, I imagine you would. I want to talk to you about that, Tear." Tear looked confused, and Yulia's expression grew troubled. "I believe it would be better if you stopped going. Not because I don't think you can do it," Yulia added, cutting Tear off, "But because I have a different project for you."

Tear looked confused. "What is it?" she asked.

Yulia took a deep breath, then suddenly began to sing.

_"Tue rei ze croa riou tue ze.."_

She trailed off, and Tear was struck by how silent everything suddenly was. After a moment the sound started again, and Tear looked at her in shock.

"What was that?" she asked.

Yulia smiled. "It was a Fonic Hymn I created. There are six verses, but when all six are sung together with understanding of each, it creates a seventh, the Grand Fonic Hymn. You'll have to work out what each verse means, and that is the project I want to give you. To work out the verses of my Fonic Hymns."

Tear considered, then nodded. "I'd be honoured," she agreed, and Yulia smiled before taking a few pages out of her bag. She handed them to Tear, who looked through them.

"Those are the words of the hymns, a few translations of the words. I'll leave working it out up to you," she said, then stood.

Tear copied her, smiling. "Thanks Mum. I'll do my best," she said.

Yulia smiled gently. "I know you will. And I'm certain you'll succeed," she murmured, kissing Tear's forehead before heading off. Tear watched her go, then looked back at the sheets of paper, reading through the hymns.

"Hmm...So, if each of the six hymns represents the six fonons.." she mumbled to herself, walking off as she considered the problem.

Yulia watched her, a smile gracing her lips. "I know you'll succeed, my dear child," she murmured.

* * *

Tear walked along the hallway, humming the tune under her breath. One of the sheets had the music notes for each verse, and she'd spent the evening working them out. Then she'd begun trying to translate the first verse.

It wasn't very easy. She didn't understand the language it was written in, and the few words Yulia had given her didn't shed much light. Dreams was one of the things in it, so she just needed to work from there...She was certain that Yulia singing it for her last night was a clue though. She needed to understand what the songs intended to do...but all that had happened was everything had gone quiet. How did that relate to dreams?

"Whatcha singing?" asked someone behind her, and she jumped, giving a squeal. The person laughed and she turned, seeing Luke standing there.

"Luke! Don't scare me like that!" she cried, hand over her heart as it pounded in her chest.

"Sorry, sorry. I honestly thought you'd heard me though!"

"Well I didn't. So make sure I definitely know you're there."

Luke nodded, walking alongside her. "So, what were you singing?" he asked again, curious.

Tear hesitated, then shrugged. "A song my mum gave me. She told me to work out its meaning," she explained.

"Your mum? Who's that?" asked Luke, confused.

Tear looked surprised. "You don't know?"

Luke shook his head, frowning. "Should I?" he asked.

"I just...thought you would. Well, um, she's Yulia."

Luke blinked, took this in, then nodded. "Yeah, I can see the resemblance," he agreed.

"Well that was anti-climatic," Tear said.

"What did you want?_ Oh my gosh Tear! Your mum is Yulia?! OMG gurl! High five!_ No, not happening."

Tear laughed. "Trust you to over exaggerate," she giggled, and Luke grinned before continuing to walk, hands behind his head.

"So, how does it go?"

Tear frowned. "I don't know the meaning, and I'm not very good.." she said hesitantly.

"Doesn't matter. It sounds pretty good from what I've heard. Just sing the first couple of lines or something," he suggested.

Tear nodded, taking a deep breath to calm herself. She stopped walking, and Luke also stopped, watching her.

_"Toue Rei Zue Kuroa Riou Toue Zue_

_Kuroa Riou Zue Toue Riou Rei Neu Riou Zue_

_Va Rei Zue Toue Neu Toue Ryuo Toue Kuroa..."_

Tear trailed off, blushing. "That's the first three verses. They're the only ones I've memorised," she explained.

"They sound pretty nice. What language is it?"

"I don't know. I have a few translations, but not much..."

"Well, like what?"

"Well...one bit of the word structure makes Dreams, but I don't understand why. When Mum sang it, everything went really quiet, so that must have something to do with it, and I don't get what everything being silent and dreams have to do with each other."

Luke considered. "Well...You dream when you sleep, right? And you're pretty quiet when you sleep too," he pointed out.

Tear blinked, then suddenly understood. "That's it!" she exclaimed, making Luke jump.

"What's it?" he asked hesitantly.

"The meaning of the first verse! Here, let me try it," she said.

"Um..Okay.."

Tear calmed herself, then began to sing.

_"Toue Rei Zue Kuroa Riou Toue Zue.."_

Not hearing anything different, she sighed. "Okay, maybe it didn't work," she said, opening her eyes to look at Luke then surprised at the sudden absence. "Luke?" she asked, looking around, then caught a flash of red and looked down. "Ah! Luke!" she cried, kneeling beside him. She checked him over, then realised he was only sleeping and sighed in relief. Glancing around, she sighed as she realised no one else was around and there was no way to get him to a better place to sleep.

"Okay. Bad time to practice," she muttered, then reached for his pocket where his phone was kept.  
Pulling it out, she flipped it open and looked for the one she needed again. Finding it faster this time, she pressed it and waited.

Eventually it picked up.

"_Luke, I'm busy, I_ told _you that if you has some problems, just ring Dad or something-_"

"Hi Asch."

"_-and I'll assume you must have problems if you turned into Tear. What happened?_"

"Well, it was kinda my fault..."

"_If something happens to him, it's always his fault. Shoot._"

"Well, um, I learnt a few new Fonic Hymns and I worked out the meaning to one, so I sang it to Luke and..kinda..made him fall asleep."

There was silence for a moment, and Tear grew worried. "Asch? Are you still there?"

_"Yeah...Just wondering how idiotic he can get. Alright, where are you?_"

"Um..a hallway."

"_Super specific, thanks. Ugh, I'll be there in a minute. Don't move, and if he wakes up, call me._"

The phone clicked off and Tear replaced it, gazing down at Luke for a moment. Then she sighed. "Why is it every time I borrow your phone, you're always completely out of it?" she muttered.

* * *

**A/N: Awww, silly Tear. You made Lukey fall asleep! (At least now Luke isn't the only one perving over a sleeping Tear :3 )**

**Review?**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: The chapter in which Yulia reveals she is even ****_more _****clumsy than Tear!**

* * *

Eventually she heard footsteps and looked up, surprised to see not only Asch, but Lorelei and Yulia as well.

"Mum!" Tear said in surprise, causing Asch to look at her in surprise before redirecting his attention to Luke.

"Oi. Idiot. Wake up," he muttered, kicking him.

"Asch, stop that and pick him up," Lorelei scolded, and Asch shrugged, bending down and pulling Luke up. He staggered under the weight with a gasp.

"Jeez, he needs cut down on the cake.." he grunted, forcing himself to stand.

Yulia went over to Tear. "Tear, sweetie, what happened?"

"Um, I worked out the meaning to the first verse and sang it to Luke, and he kinda..passed out."

Yulia glanced over at Luke, biting her lip. "Yes, I would definitely say that. I should have warned you sweetie, if you don't control the power, it can have a really strong effect on those near you. You have to direct it properly," she explained.

"Oh...Sorry," Tear murmured, looking upset.

"It's alright, I should have told you," Yulia replied with a smile, then crossed over to Luke and checked him over. Finally she sighed in relief. "Well, at least he's not in a coma. He should wake up soon. A couple of days at the longest," Yulia said to Lorelei.

"Ugh, he's lazy enough as it is, he doesn't need more sleep," Asch muttered, and Lorelei gave him a whack on the back of his head. "Ow! What was that for, old man!?"

"Ever considered being polite?" Lorelei asked with a raised eyebrow, then turned to Yulia. "Alright, thanks. I'll leave you with Tear and get this one to bed," he said with a smile, before taking Luke from Asch with ease and walking back the way they had come.

Tear turned to Yulia. "I'm sorry...I didn't realise how strong it would be, I thought it might not work.." she murmured.

"You don't need to apologise. When I first tried it, I ended up knocking out six of my friends and put two of them in a coma, though they woke up about a week later," Yulia said with an awkward laugh.

Tear blinked, then stifled a giggle. Yulia smiled, then took her hand.

"Now come on. We can go check in on Luke if you want, but I assure you, he'll be fine," she said, and Tear nodded, smiling.

* * *

Tear knocked on the door, waiting a moment.

"Come in," the voice called, and she opened it, stepping inside.

Lorelei looked up from the paperwork he was doing, and smiled. "Ah, Tear. I was hoping you'd come by soon," he said, standing up.

"Um, why did you need to see me?" she asked, a little confused, and watched as he began rummaging in a drawer.

Finally he found what he was looking for and turned. "Catch," he said, throwing it towards her, and she caught it reflexively before looking at it in surprise.

"A...phone?"

Lorelei sat down again, crossing his legs. "Twice now you've had to call someone in an emergency, but there's no telling when there might come a time you need to contact us and don't have any means of communication. So, I deemed it necessary to have your own phone." Tear looked at it, pressing the switch and looking at it. "It's basically the same as Luke's and Asch's, but theirs are more personalised because of..certain circumstances. Yours acts a normal phone, just with all the number you should need input already."

Tear looked up. "But...why would you give it to me?" she asked.

Lorelei shrugged. "I have my reasons. You don't need to know them, however. Oh, and make sure you don't show it to just anyone. It would be awkward if it spread that I was giving phones to students," he said with a laugh.

Tear nodded slowly, then put it in her pocket. "Thank you, Lorelei," she said with a smile.

"No problem," Lorelei waved it off, and Tear turned to leave. Then she blinked, and glanced back.

"Lorelei?"

"Mmm?"

"Um..has Luke woken up yet?"

"Who, that idiot? Yeah, he's awake. A little groggy, but personally, I think that's a good thing. He's too active for his own good anyway," Lorelei replied. Tear would have thought he was simply being spiteful or cruel, except there was a slight smile playing on his lips. She raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed," she said in a disbelieving tone, and he looked up to ask her what she meant, but she had already left. He sat there for a moment, then sighed.

"She can read me almost as easily as Yulia..." he mumbled to the wall.

"That's because you're easy to read," the wall replied.

Lorelei glared flatly at the wall. "Asch, stop eavesdropping." He heard the sound of feet walking off and sighed. "Honestly.." he muttered, turning back to his work with a smile on his lips.

* * *

**A/N: Either Tear is a teacher's pet, or Lorelei has a soft spot for Tear 0_0**

_**(Wish **_**I ****_got free phones...)_**

**Review?**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: And Luke becomes a 'badass'...not really**

* * *

It was Sunday, and Tear sat on her bed, playing around with the phone. She was mainly trying to work out how it worked, pressing buttons and fiddling around. As she did, she tried to think what type of personalisation had been done to the red-headed twins' phones. They were probably aware of it, whatever it was, but she couldn't think what could be added.

Pressing another button, the screen changed and she blinked. Moving it around, she saw that the screen also changed. Pressing the button again, there was a click and then the screen froze

"Oh! A camera," she giggled, deleting the photo she had taken of her bed and half her leg and looking through the other things.

There was a beep, the phone vibrating in her hands, and she almost dropped it in surprise. A symbol had appeared at the top, and she hesitantly pressed it, bringing up another screen.

_'So you have a phone? - Luke'_

Tear looked at it in confusion. What on Auldrant was this? It beeped again, and she pressed the symbol.

_'In case you don't know, the images on the side mean - reply, forward, and delete. Just press the first one and then write what you want, then press the first symbol again, because that one means send. - Luke'_

Tear did as he instructed, quickly pressing out a reply, then pressed the first symbol. It remained for a minute, and then vanished. Waiting a moment, her phone beeped and she pressed it.

_'Imaginative. Hey, come over to my room for a bit? Yulia won't let me out, and I'm bo~red. - Luke'_

Tear pressed the same buttons again, slowly getting more confident.

_'Sure. Where is it? - Tear'_

_'Same building as Dad's office, second floor, first door on the right. Don't go left, that's Asch's bedroom. - Luke'_

_'Okay, I'll be there in a minute. - Tear'_

Tear stood up, slipping her shoes on and grabbing her jacket before heading for the door.

"Where ya going?" asked Natalia, looking up.

"Heading over to Luke's. He asked me to keep him company," Tear replied, zipping up her jacket.

"Say hi to him from me," Natalia replied, going back to reading her magazine.

Tear headed out, closing the door, then walked down the hallway. She headed across the courtyard, listening to the birds chirping and people chatting as they lolled about in the sun. Reaching the main building, she headed in and went up the stairs. Soon reaching the second floor, she hesitated briefly then went for the door on her right. Knocking, she waited a moment.

"Come in," Luke's voice called, and she breathed in relief before pushing the door open. He lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, but sat up as Tear entered and grinned. "Hey, that was quick," he noted.

Tear smiled, taking a seat at the end of the bed. "I told you I'd be a minute," she said.

"Nah, you were a little longer," Luke teased, and Tear shook her head in defeat. Looking at him, she was struck by how he looked a little different, then suddenly realised.

"What did you do with your hair?" she asked, and Luke blinked.

"Oh, this? Yulia did it, said it would keep it out of the way," he said, bringing it round. The crimson hair was plaited, a few locks hanging freely at the front, and messy at the top. Tear blinked, taking it in, then smiled.

"It looks good on you," she noted, and Luke coloured a little.

"You think? I thought it was a bit girly..." he mumbled.

"No, it suits you," she replied, and Luke smiled.

"Thanks," he said, crossing his legs and giving a sigh.

"What's the matter?" Tear asked, confused.

"I'm so bored. I hate being stuck in this stupid room.."

"Don't you have anything to do?"

"No, not really. A few books, but Asch is more into reading that I am."

"Huh. He doesn't really seem the type," Tear commented with a frown.

"Yeah, I know, but he is," Luke said, then gave a frustrated cry and lay back.

"I could knock you out again," Tear offered.

"No thanks. Whatever you did, it gave me a huge headache," he said, rubbing his head absently.

Suddenly he blinked before sitting up again, looking excited. "Let's break out!" he cried.

"What?"

"Yeah! We could climb out the window or something, and go outside for a bit, then get back before they notice we've gone! It's perfect!"

"Luke, isn't that a bit...dangerous?"

"Ah, who cares. Come on!" He was already standing up, leaping off his bed to the window and unlatching it. He pushed it open, looking down then back at Tear. "You coming?" he asked.

Tear bit her lip then joined him, and he went over the windowsill, grasping it and pushing himself off the wall into the tree growing a little over. Tear did the same, nearly missing the tree, but Luke grabbed her in time. They leapt out of the tree, then strode off, Luke stretching in pleasure.

"Man, it's great to be outside again!" he sighed happily, hands behind his head.

Tear was keeping a careful eye out for Asch, Lorelei or Yulia, but so far none of them had shown up. Still, it didn't do for Luke to be so relaxed.

"Will you be serious? If they notice you're gone, they're going to freak," Tear pointed out.

Luke waved it off. "Dad won't freak, he always knows where we are."

Tear rolled her eyes, but relaxed a little as well. They strode across the grounds, the sun shining down on them. Tear smiled lightly, tilting her head with her eyes closed to catch a few more rays on her face. Luke glanced at her, then looked away, ignoring the blush that rose in his cheeks.

Tear opened her eyes again, eyes sliding to Luke. His hair was aflame, even more prominent in the bright sunlight, and she was certain that if she didn't know better, she would think his hair was on fire. He glanced at her, emerald eyes catching the light and seeming even deeper than they did before.

"Hey Tear, you okay? You're kinda spacing out," Luke said, eyebrow raised.

"Huh? Oh, um, yes, sorry," she said quickly, going red. Luke noticed, appearing a little concerned.

"I think we should go rest in the shade for a bit. It looks like the sun's getting to you," he noted. Tear nodded mutely and they crossed over to a large tree, sitting down at its base. The branches swayed above them hypnotically, the light making dancing patterns on the floor.

Luke lay down on the grass, hands beneath his head, and stared up at the leaves. Tear joined him, slightly curled to get in a more comfortable position.

"My mum planted this tree," Luke said suddenly, and Tear looked at him in surprise.

"She did?"

"Uh huh. On the day we were born. She said it would represent our bond, and if it ever withered, it meant we were growing distant."

Tear looked up at the huge, healthy tree. "I guess it's always grown pretty well then?"

Luke shook his head. "No...A little while after Mum's death, it started to wither. The leaves fell even though it was summer, the bark was rotten and sap leaked out...So I thought, I have to get everyone back together. Yulia went along with my games, and we managed to get Asch and Dad to join in too, and eventually the tree started getting better." He smiled softly. "It's been growing strong ever since, getting bigger every year. I hope it doesn't rot again."

"Was your mum a fonist?" asked Tear.

Luke shrugged. "I don't know. If she was, she couldn't have been very strong; she was always pretty weak, and ill a lot of the time."

Tear considered this, gazing up at the tree. Finally she looked at him, smiling. "Even if she wasn't, I think she must have been stronger than a lot of people realised. After all, her feelings reached this tree, right?" she said.

Luke gazed at her a moment, then looked away, nodding. "Yeah..I guess," he murmured. Tear gave a light giggle then rolled onto her back, staring up at the leaves.

_'Whoever you are...Thank you so much for giving birth to such wonderful children,'_ Tear thought, willing the tree to send it to Luke's mother. She didn't know if it would ever reach her, but she wanted the thought to at least be there.

Luke had pulled out his phone, and now put it back, sitting up with a yawn. "I suppose we should get back now," he said, Tear sitting as well. As he stood up and stretched, he heard Tear give a sigh and then suddenly pain erupted at his ear lobe.

"Ow ow ow!" he gasped, reaching up to try and push whoever it was away.

"And what are you doing out of your room?" came Asch's icy voice, and he froze, looking up into his older twin's eyes.

"Um..."

Asch rolled his eyes, then looked over at Tear. "And I notice you didn't stop him?" he noted.

Tear shrugged. "He can be very convincing," she offered.

Asch snorted. "As if. Now come on, I don't think Dad'll be pleased to hear you snuck out of your room when Yulia told you to stay in there," he said, dragging Luke off. Tear waved after him, then headed back for her own room. As she reached the door, she paused, glancing back at the tree. It was large, reaching almost up to the top of her building, and was healthy and strong. If it really represented their relationship...

She gave a smile, then headed inside, certain she had just figured out a little more of their personalities.

* * *

**A/N: Oh you perceptive Tear, you!**

**Review?**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: And the relationship between Van and Tear fizzles out in a magical rainbow of sparkles!**

* * *

Tear sat on her bed, reading a magazine she'd borrowed from Natalia while said girl curled her hair, when there was a knock on the door. They looked up, Tear standing to open it, when it was thrown open. Van strode in, looking angry.

"Mystearica! Why did you quit Fonic Hymns?!" he demanded. Natalia drew back at his angry voice.

"Because I felt it wasn't working for me," Tear replied as calmly as she could. She didn't understand why he was so angry. So she quit his lesson, so what?

"Well, make it work!" he snarled.

"What does it matter if I go to your lessons or not?" Tear asked.

Van avoided the question. "If you won't continue with the lessons, then join Daath!"

Natalia looked at Tear, who frowned.

"No. I like it here in Kimlasca."

"It has nothing to do with who you like more! I'm trying to save your life!"

"From what?" asked Tear, suspicious.

"Stop skipping around the questions!" Van snarled, reaching forward and grasping her collar. He lifted her up slightly, and she felt her breath hitch as her fear grew.

"Tear!" Natalia cried, standing as well.

"Stay out of this," Van growled to the blonde girl then turned back to Tear. "Join Daath, Mystearica. I'm not asking."

"First time we've properly spoken since I got here, and you're strangling me," Tear croaked out with a ragged laugh.

Van gave a roar, throwing her back. Natalia caught her, steadying her as he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Are you alright?" Natalia asked as Tear panted, rubbing her throat.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she murmured.

"We should report him to Mr Lorelei," Natalia said, helping Tear to stand. Tear glanced at the closed door, and nodded solemnly.

"Yes...I think something's going on that he may need to know about," she agreed.

* * *

The two girls stood in Lorelei's office, having just relayed what had happened with Van. Lorelei paced his office, expression grim.

"This puts a whole new spin on the situation," he muttered.

"Sir...what's going on?" asked Natalia hesitantly.

Lorelei glanced at her, then ran a hand through his crimson hair. "Yes, I suppose you deserve to know. Take a seat, both of you," he said, and they sat.

He stopped in front of the window, gazing out at the grounds below.

"When Van first arrived, he was extremely competitive. He bribed and threatened students into joining him, openly mocked the other teachers, and treated students from other groups badly. I nearly sacked him when he calmed down, apologising for how he had acted and promising to change. And he did, becoming a role model to the students. He taught well, accepting all, and was polite to all the teachers. I honestly thought he'd turned it around.

He had been here for four years when Luke and Asch turned six. It was only a few months after their mother's death, and they were both still extremely upset. That's when a series of murder attempts began."

Natalia gasped, and Tear's eyes widened. Lorelei's eyes never left the window.

"Whoever they were, they were good. Despite me putting various protective charms around them, the person always got through. The first time, it was dumb luck they were saved. The person missed Asch, who he had been aiming for, and woke them both up. Asch, being Asch, had a weapon with him and attacked, forcing the man back and causing him to leave before Yulia or I spotted him.

The next few times, we arrived before he could get too far. That's when he began to step up his game. He couldn't get to them inside this building, so he attacked whenever they went out. The first time he did it, he nearly managed to kill Luke. He managed to seriously wound him, but thankfully Yulia healed him before it could become fatal. After that, enough people were around to stop him."

Tear stiffened, her fists clenching, and Natalia laid a hand on hers.

"But the last time he tried it, was when he tried to drown Asch. Just as they went under the water, Asch saw his face. We dragged Asch out and the man got away, but Asch was adamant he saw Van's face.

After that, he didn't try again. I was suspicious by then, but Van was acting under the radar, and I had no evidence to do anything. If I accused him by Asch's account, he could say that Asch was delirious, or that he had mistaken him for someone else. So I sat back and waited for him to try anything else.  
But he didn't. He hasn't, actually. Not until this evening. Asch believes that Van is trying to create an army to use against the rest of the school, and Luke agrees with him, but I didn't see any evidence of this until you came to me."

"I-I can't believe my brother...actually tried to kill them..." Tear murmured, eyes wide.

Lorelei glanced at her. "I'm sorry. I know it's difficult to accept," he murmured.

"What about Luke and Asch? How do they put up with him?" asked Natalia, confused.

"They don't. If he comes anywhere near them, they become defensive and leave as quickly as possible. It's also why they're so hesitant around people from Daath."

Tear seemed to have recovered a little, and looked at Lorelei. "What do you want us to do?" she asked.

"Nothing - for the moment. We can't start a fight when we have no idea what we're up against. I'll do some investigating, but until then, continue as normal," he replied.

The two girls nodded, standing up and heading for the door.

"Oh, and girls?"

They looked back at him.

"Don't mention any of this to anyone else, especially Luke and Asch. They're more likely to start something that anyone else."

They both nodded again, heading out of the room, and Lorelei turned.

"Yulia?"

"Of course. I'll find out what I can," she murmured, before gliding off silently.

* * *

**A/N: Well...that escalated quickly 0_0**

**Review?**


	13. Chapter 13

It was lunch time, a week after the incident with Van. The group sat together, though Sync was mysteriously absent.

"He said he wanted to talk to someone, but he'll be along soon," Ion explained.

"Who would he want to talk to?" wondered Guy. Tear and Natalia shared a glance then continued eating. Of course - Ion, Sync and Jozette were part of Daath. There was every chance that Van would try something using them. They may even have to fight them eventually, though Tear hoped it wouldn't come to that.

As if on cue, Sync entered the hall with a pink haired and eyed girl following behind him, the same from their Seventh Fonist class. She clutched a doll to her tightly, and looked shy. He stopped at their table, gave an irritated grunt, then sighed.

"Guys, this is Arietta. Arietta, this is Tear, Natalia, Luke, Asch, Guy, Jozette and Aslan."

A plethora of greetings assaulted Arietta, and she seemed to shrink more into her doll.

"H-Hello..." she whispered nervously.

"I was wondering if it would be okay for Arietta to sit with us," Sync explained.

"Sure, I see no reason why not," Aslan agreed, smiling at the shy girl. Sync nodded, slipping into his seat and looking at her. She sat down next to him, looking around at the group nervously.

Tear looked at her from the corner of her eye, taking her in. She seemed genuinely shy, but...there was no way to be completely sure.

"When did you meet her?" asked Jozette, surprised.

"A little while ago," Sync replied vaguely.

"Oh. Are you good friends?" asked Guy, a smirk coming to his lips.

"Good enough," Sync replied, not meeting their gazes.

"Uh huh...How long have you two been going out?" Guy asked. Sync nearly choked and Arietta went red, hiding in her doll.

"Wow Sync! I didn't realise you and Arietta were going out!" Ion said with a smile.

"Sh-Shut up!" Sync replied, growing red.

"It's adorable when the younger generation discover love," Luke teased, laughing as Sync grew flustered.

"O-Oh yeah?! Well, what about you and Tear?!" Sync demanded, and now Luke and Tear went red.

"We aren't going out!" Tear denied.

"Course you're not," Sync teased, regaining some of his composure now that he wasn't the one being interrogated.

"We aren't!" Tear yelled.

"But you want to?" Ion asked, and the group laughed as the two of them went even redder, Luke now the same shade as his hair. Even Arietta gave a little giggle, and Sync glanced at her, his eyes softening slightly.

"Oi! Shut up! Some of us are trying to eat!" somebody yelled from across the hall. The group glanced at each other then laughed even louder, ignoring the various glares from the rest of the students.

* * *

Tear was sitting on her bed, reading through the papers that Yulia had given her. Having managed to translate most of the first song, she could understand more of the second one, but some bits were still confusing. Taking an idea of what it could mean, she cleared her throat.

_"Kuroa Ryou Zue Toue Ryou Rei Neu Ryou Zue.."_

Nothing happened, and she sighed, crossing out something on a different sheet.

Gazing at the words, she played around with them a little. "So...maybe... Protect?" she wondered. An idea formed and she tried again.

_"Kuroa Ryou Zue Toue Ryou Rei Neu Ryou Zue.."_

This time, a barrier appeared around her, and she grinned. "Great! So that's the first and second songs...now, the third...mmm...Maybe Heal."

Reaching for her pack, she pulled out a knife and lightly cut her finger. Wincing briefly, she calmed herself and sang the third verse.

_"Va Rei Zue Toue Neu Toue Ryuo Toue Kuroa.."_

Nothing happened, and she sighed. "Okay, not Heal..." she muttered, beginning to write on the sheet to try and consider what the sentence meant while absently healing the cut on her finger.

Her phone beeped, and she jumped, picking it up and pressing the symbol.

_'Hey Tear. Are you alright? Been kinda distant lately. - Luke'_

Tear gave a half smile. Trust Luke to notice. She considered, trying to think of an acceptable excuse.

_'Yeah, I'm okay. Just trying to work out the meaning of Mum's Hymns :S - Tear.'_

_'Oh, okay. Was just a little worried. - Luke'_

_'Sweet of you, but I'm okay. Really :) - Tear'_

_'Are you being patronizing or sarcastic? :/ - Luke'_

_'Neither. I was being nice. You should try it sometime ;) - Tear'_

_'Ha . Fills me with confidence. - Luke'_

_'Glad to be of service! - Tear'_

Tear could almost hear Luke laughing, and settled back, scanning through the sheets again.

"Rest...No, that's not right, it's too vague...Um...Energy? No, it's a mixture, so...Re-energise."

Placing the sheet on the bed in front of her, she closed her eyes.

_"Va Rei Zue Toue Neu Toue Ryuo Toue Kuroa.."_

She felt fidgety, a weird tingling going down her body. The oncoming cold she could feel faded, and she grinned. "Well, that's the third," she said happily, glad that she was working them out so fast. They'd be helpful if anything did happen, at least.

* * *

She entered the classroom for Fonic Artes, slipping into her space between a girl from Malkuth and where Luke usually sat. She was a little surprised he wasn't here already; Fonic Artes was one of the only lessons he really enjoyed.

Glancing around the room, she saw Asch at his usual seat next to Natalia, and reached over to tap his shoulder. He glanced back at her, confused.

"Where's Luke?" she asked.

"Oh...He's ill. Didn't he tell you?"

"No. When did he get ill?"

"Well, it's been coming for a couple of weeks, but really hit him yesterday. He's been completely exhausted, so Dad said he should just stay and rest for the next few days until he's feeling better."

Tear frowned. "That seems a bit sudden. He looked fine when I saw him the other day," she said, thinking about lunch a few days ago.

Asch shrugged. "He just is," he replied.

Jade walked in and Tear sat back in her seat, mind still thinking about Luke._ 'Honestly...why didn't he just tell me he wasn't feeling well?_' she thought to herself, a little irritated. Of course he would have hidden it, pretending to be alright so that no one would worry.

* * *

**A/N: The prelude to something more serious...The serious stuff is starting now :|**

**Review?**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: This chappy is out a few days early as a birthday present to SonicGirl2002! Happy birthday, my awesome reviewer!**

* * *

The bell rang out, signalling the end of lessons. Tear watched Asch hurrying back towards the main building, and frowned.

_'I'll go visit him later,_' she decided, heading to her dorm to put her stuff away and change out of her uniform.

She reached her room and headed in, hearing the tap running in the bathroom.

"Hey Natalia!" Tear called, throwing her bag onto her bed and pulling her top off. Then she paused, surprised that Natalia hadn't replied. "Natalia?" she asked, frowning when there was no reply.

She pulled on another top, standing up and heading for the bathroom.

"Natalia?" she murmured, pushing the door open, then blinked before gasping. "Natalia!" she cried, kneeling down beside the unconscious girl. She lay prone on the floor, face flushed and breathing heavily. Tear gently lifted her up, checking her temperature. Carefully, she carried her back into the bedroom, laying her on her bed and removing any unnecessary garments. However, the high fever remained, and Tear bit her lip.

She reached for her phone, pulling it out and dialling a number before waiting. It took a few rings, but it was finally answered.

_"Tear? What's the matter?"_ asked Lorelei.

"Lorelei, Natalia's collapsed!"

_"What? What happened?"_

"I don't know. I came back in and when I went to check on her, she was unconscious. She has a huge fever and she isn't responding." Tear was near tears, trying to remain calm but failing.

Lorelei was silent for a moment, then gave a grunt. _"I'll be over in a minute. Don't do anything,"_ he said, then put the phone down.

Tear waited impatiently, pacing the floor and casting worried glances at Natalia, who still hadn't woken up. Finally she heard a knock on the door and crossed over, throwing it open. Lorelei gave her a brief smile then brushed past her, crossing over to the bed Natalia lay on.

He checked her over, then sighed. "She's got the same thing as Luke..." he murmured.

"Lorelei, what's going on?" Tear asked fearfully.

Lorelei looked at her, then shook his head. "I don't know. I thought it was just Luke, but if Natalia has it as well..." He trailed off, looking thoughtful, then brought himself back to attention. He looked at Tear. "I'm going to move her to the Infirmary. Could you go keep an eye on Luke and Asch while I'm gone?"

"Of course," Tear replied, watching as he reached down and picked Natalia up gently. He headed out, and Tear followed until they got outside, where she hurried off to the rooms Asch and Luke stayed in.

She had barely gotten halfway when someone suddenly cried out.

"Lily!"

Turning, she hurried towards where the voice had come from and found two girls, one of them lying on the floor unconscious. She had a fever, and Tear glanced up at her friend.

"What happened?"

"I-I don't know...We were just talking, and then she just...collapsed!" the girl cried, tears running down her cheeks.

Tear reached for her phone, pulling it out. Quickly she got the number she needed, and barely waited a moment before it was answered.

"Mr Lorelei, someone else just collapsed."

_"What?!"_

"A girl. Her friend is here with me, says they were talking and then.."

_"Understood. I'll tell the Infirmary. Alert me if anyone else.."_

Tear heard someone shout and looked up.

"Hold that thought, sir," she said, quickly reassuring the girl before hurrying across the ground. As she approached the scene, she found a group of students standing around another boy.

"Move!" she ordered, pushing through them and bending beside him. He also had a high fever, and she bit her lip before putting her phone to her ear again. "Sir, I have another."

Lorelei gave a growl. _"Tell all students who aren't feeling well to immediately come to the Infirmary,"_ he said.

Tear stood up, looking at the group of kids. "Is anyone here not feeling well?" she called.

There was a few mumbles, then several people raised their hands.

"Go immediately to the Infirmary! We do not want any more cases like this!" she ordered.

"Why should we?!" yelled someone, and she felt like pounding her head at the stupidity of these people.

"Because..."

She barely began when a girl at the front, who had had her hand raised, suddenly fell with a sigh. Tear caught her, lowering her to the floor and checking her over.

"Now!" Tear snarled, and the students hurried off with scared glances at the two students. The two students' friends remained, looking worried.

"Are they okay?" asked one of the boys.

"I don't know. Get them to the Infirmary, Mr Lorelei should be there and he'll tell you what to do," she ordered. The students nodded, picking up the collapsed students carefully then hurrying to the Infirmary.

Tear looked around, frowning. What the hell was going on?!

* * *

She eventually got to Luke and Asch's rooms, finding the two boys sitting in Luke's room. Asch was sitting on the floor, reading, while Luke lay on his stomach on his bed, plaiting Asch's hair. His own hair was tied back, and his face a little flushed.

They looked up as Tear entered, and Luke gave a tired grin.

"Tear. What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Lorelei asked me to keep you guys company while he deals with some stuff," Tear replied with a smile, sitting beside them. She gazed at Luke hard, and he drew back slightly under her intense stare.

"Um, Tear? Are you okay?" he asked.

"How come you're awake? You don't seem too bad."

Luke shrugged. "Probably because I'm a Seventh Fonist."

"But Natalia's a Seventh Fonist too, and she collapsed," Tear said without thinking, then clamped a hand on her mouth. Asch stiffened, then grabbed her arm.

"What happened to Natalia?" he growled.

"I don't know! Loads of students have just been collapsing. Lorelei said that Natalia has the same thing as Luke, so I guess all the other students do too, but Luke's the only one awake."

Asch looked worried, and stood up. "I'm going to go check on Natalia," he said, before hurrying out, the plait still in his hair. Tear watched him go, then turned to Luke.

"How are you feeling?" she asked finally.

"Tired," Luke admitted.

"Should you even be up? Surely you should be trying to sleep it off.."

"I don't want to. Especially not if all the other students have just been collapsing. I'd probably scare Dad and Asch silly."

Tear nodded, seeing the point in that. "I still don't understand why you're so much better."

"I don't understand why you aren't ill. You've been hanging around with Natalia and me, and yet you don't look like you're ill at all!" Luke pointed out.

Tear considered this. It was a valid point; apart from the little cold that had been creeping up on her a few days ago, she'd been completely fine...

Suddenly she realised.

"That's it!" she cried, leaping up.

"What's it?" Luke asked.

"Luke, I want to try something on you," she said.

"Um..it's not going to knock me out again, is it?" he asked hesitantly.

"No, this is a different one. Hopefully, it'll cure your illness."

"Oh. Okay then, go ahead."

Tear took a deep breath, then opened her mouth.

_"Va Rei Zue Toue Neu Toue Ryuo Toue Kuroa.."_

As she opened her eyes, she thought she saw a brief gold glow around him before it vanished, and she wondered if it was really there.

Luke sat there for a moment, blinking, then grinned. "Hey - I don't feel tired anymore!" he said happily, leaping up.

Tear breathed in relief. "That's great...I was worried it wouldn't work," she said.

"Well it did. You're amazing, Tear!" Luke said with a grin. Something occurred to him, and he went serious. "Would you be able to do it for everyone else?" he asked.

Tear considered. "Probably, yes. But if I have to do it over and over, I'll get too tired. If we can get everyone together, then we can get rid of it before it can really take effect, too."

Luke nodded. "I'll tell Dad. If we get everyone on campus to go to the Infirmary, you should be able to heal them, right?"

"In theory, yes. It just depends on whether I have enough energy."

Luke frowned. "Well, don't push yourself too hard. We need you."

Tear nodded, and Luke reached for his phone. He quickly called Lorelei, explaining the situation and what they'd figured out.

"So, do you think you could get everyone to the Infirmary?"

_"Yes, I should be able to. Come on over, we've had various other students collapse already, and apparently all throughout the day. Whatever is going has started today."_

"We'll be there in a minute."

_"Be careful."_

"We will."

Luke hung up, slipping the phone into his pocket. "Alright, let's get going," he said, running out of the room with Tear behind him.

* * *

**A/N: Gasp! Shock! Horror! What's going on? Why are all the students magically fainting?! Why is Luke still awake!?**

**All answers shall be provided next chapter!...except the Luke one :3**

**Review?**


	15. Chapter 15

As the two ran towards the Infirmary, Tear noticed the large amount of students also heading there, looking worried. A few supported unconscious and feverish friends, others not looking so great themselves. It was like a super fast epidemic, and it was scaring everyone.

They reached the Infirmary, and almost staggered at the amount of students having to fit in the hall. Luke dove in, undeterred, and Tear followed a moment later, trying to keep him in sight. As they wove their way through the masses, she couldn't help but marvel at his grace; he slipped through them like a shadow, not touching anyone and barely even being registered, while she bumped and crashed into people constantly.

A girl fell beside her, and she instinctively caught her, gently passing her to her worried boyfriend.

Turning back, she realised that she had completely lost sight of Luke in the two seconds it had taken.  
Hesitantly she started forward, trying to figure out where he had gone.

"Luke? Luke!" she called, certain that she wouldn't be heard over the noise of the students.

A moment later he appeared in front of her, and she jumped. Even having seen him come, it shocked her at the ease that he managed to cut through them.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked, confused.

"I wasn't," Tear replied, a little put out, and Luke shrugged.

"Come on then," he said, grasping her hand and turning, diving back into the throng of students. Tear quickly got over her initial flustered reaction, and now finally seeing how Luke moved up close, she saw that not only was he graceful, but methodical as well. He kept up a constant, rather fast pace, allowing him to zip through the crowds and skim past the groups of students, leaving on a faint rustle to show he had been there. She began to copy him, marvelling at how much easier it got to avoid people.

Finally they reached where Asch and Lorelei were waiting, coming to a graceful halt in front of them.

"That was clumsy," Asch said, and Tear was about to snap at him when Luke nodded.

"I know. But I was kind of in a rush," he replied.

This caught her off guard. How on Auldrant could you be more graceful?!

"We should get started soon. Most of the students are here," Lorelei said, interrupting them.

"How are the ones who have collapsed?" asked Luke.

"Well enough, for now. But their fevers are dangerously high; if it isn't dealt with soon, it could have serious consequences. And..." Lorelei trailed off, then shook his head. "No, I'll tell you in a minute. Tear, if you would?"

Tear nodded, stepping forward. She looked at the crowd of students and felt nerves run through her, then a hand slipped into her own and she glanced back. Luke smiled.

"You can do it. Don't worry," he murmured, and she nodded, smiling, before turning back.

Taking a deep breath, she began singing.

_"Va Rei Zue Toue Neu Toue Ryuo Toue Kuroa.."_

The song was soothing, and the crowd began to calm. At the same time, she noticed a brief gold flicker around Lorelei and Asch, who looked vaguely confused.

As Tear trailed off, fearing that it hadn't worked, she heard a groan from beside her.

"Ow...what hit me.." mumbled a voice, and the student lying in the bed next to her sat up, rubbing his head.

Slowly, all around the hall, the unconscious students woke up, looking a little confused. Their friends hugged them, glad that they were feeling better. Asch leapt towards Natalia as the blonde girl woke up, looking relieved.

"Well done Tear. I'm very proud of you, and I'm sure Yulia would be too," Lorelei murmured.

Tear was about to ask where her mum was, but he had already disappeared into the mass of students. Tear sighed then turned to Luke.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, looking her over.

"Tired...so if I collapse, it's not because I'm ill," she said with a weak grin. Luke nodded, but didn't return the smile. She frowned. "Luke? What's the matter?"

"Well, it's just...have you noticed? That everyone who collapsed..even everyone gathered is...None of them are from Daath."

* * *

**A/N: Dun dun dunnnnn! Plot development! (The whole 'graceful' thing was kinda pointless, actually, but it does work.)**

**So, I know the chapter was pretty short, but I kinda needed to cut off there. This ****_was _****going to be in the last chapter, but it just didn't work, so...**

**Review?**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Everything's coming to a head, people!**

* * *

Everyone could feel the pressure. There had been an enquiry as to why none of the Daath students had gone to the Infirmary as instructed, but Van claimed that he had received no such instructions. He couldn't explain why no one from Daath had collapsed, and suspicions rose.

Tear could feel that it was going to come to a head soon, and poured herself into learning the Fonic Hymns Yulia had given her. She still hadn't heard or seen her mum, and was starting to get a little worried.

"Oh, this one is a lot like Heal," Tear realised, giving herself a small cut then singing.

_"Ryuo Rei Kuroa Ryuo Zue Rei Va Zue Rei.."_

The cut glowed, then faded, and she grinned. "Alright, four down, two to go..."

She had only just begun to look at the fifth one, realising quite suddenly and randomly what it meant, when she heard Natalia scream from the hallway.

Leaping up, Tear managed to grab her sheets and stuff them in her pocket, grabbing her spear before leaping out into the hallway. A large liger stood there in front of Natalia, growling.

Tear jumped forward, placing herself between Natalia and the liger. The liger gave a soft snarl, then sniffed her before becoming docile and sitting down, tongue lolling out. Tear looked confused, then saw a letter around its neck.

Reaching out, she took it and rolled it out.

_'Tear,_  
_I'm sorry that this is so sudden, but I didn't know who else to turn to. Master Van has ordered us to remain in our dorm, and insists we get ready for battle. He's been giving speeches on how Kimlasca and Malkuth are planning on destroying Daath, but that the heart of the problem is the Headmaster. _  
_I think he wants us to kill everyone else._  
_He was the one who got everyone sick before. He made everyone in Daath take a pill the week before, then put something in the food served to the students that made them all get really ill._  
_I'm really worried. I don't want to fight you all, but I'm scared Master Van will make us. He keeps going on about how we have to stop Mr Lorelei from destroying us all. He says that Mr Lorelei is angry with everyone from Daath, so he's going to kill us, but I'm sure that's not true. I tried to tell Master Van that, but he wouldn't listen._  
_Tear, please, please, you have to stop Van. A lot of us don't want a fight to start, and I'm scared it'll turn into a full-scale war if Van gets his way._  
_- Arietta_  
_PS: My liger will take messages for you. Just tell him who the recipient is, and he'll find them. Please use him if you need to.'_

Tear reread the message several times, then gritted her teeth.

"Natalia, stay here. Get into the clothes you wear for training, and make sure your bow is ready. It sounds like a fight is about to start," Tear ordered.

"Where are you going?" asked Natalia, worried.

"I'm going to show this to Mr Lorelei. Hopefully we can sort this all out before anything comes of it. Oh, and warn everyone else as well. The liger will take messages for you, you just need to tell him who to take it to. Explain it to them as well though, I don't want any misunderstandings."

Natalia nodded, watching as Tear strode off. Then she looked at the liger, considered, then nodded.  
"Liger, I need you to take a message to Aslan and Guy.."

* * *

Lorelei read the letter through quickly, his brow furrowing further as he read it. Finally he placed it down, steepling his hands and staring off into the distance. Tear stood in front of him silently, waiting for him to decide what to do next.

"...You told Natalia to alert the students, correct?"

"Yes sir."

Lorelei nodded. "Alright. Head back to the dorms and get ready. I'll get Luke and Asch ready."

"Yes sir."

Tear turned, heading out of the room. She glanced back in as she left, and saw the slightly upset look on Lorelei's face. She sighed as she headed out. It must be difficult, knowing you had to fight your own students.

She reached the grounds, hurrying across the grass towards Kimlasca's dorm. It was quiet, and she shivered at the ominous air that surrounded the academy. Picking up her pace slightly, she rubbed her arms, eyes flickering around.

It came without warning; one minute she was looking towards the Malkuth dorm and wondering if she needed to warn them, the next strong arms were wrapping around her middle and pinning her arms to her side, lifting her off the grass. She instinctively kicked out, catching the figure in the stomach with her heel, but they just responded by squeezing tighter. Gathering her breath to scream - she was close enough that someone would hear her - the person suddenly clamped a hand on her mouth, muffling the sound. She struggled against them, shocked at how they could restrain her with only one arm.

"Mystearica...If you had only chosen to come to Daath, it may not have come to this," a voice murmured, and she watched as Van walked into her line of sight, Legretta at his side. She stared at him, wide eyed, then struggled even more against the person holding her.

Van nodded his head and they started walking, heading past the Kimlasca and Malkuth dorms to the newer Daath dorm. Legretta held the door open, bowing her head, and Van crossed through, the person holding her following. The dorm was silent, and they went into a little side corridor that could easily have been missed if she wasn't heading down it.

Slowly the corridor grew darker, lights being attached to the walls to provide a little light. They reached some rooms, and Tear was surprised to see that they resembled jail cells.

Van pressed his hand against something, and the energy bars faded. The person threw Tear in, and she crashed to the floor. Picking herself up, she turned to leap out but Van removed his hand, causing the bars to appear again. She drew back, glaring at him.

"We'll let you out when this is all over, Mystearica. Until then, remain here," he said simply before turning, walking off.

"Van! Let me out!" she shouted, but he ignored her. She heard a door slam shut and bit her lip. How was she supposed to get out? She shuffled forward, hesitantly reaching for the bars then flinched back as they sparked, causing a little shock through her fingers. She looked for whatever Van had pressed, but couldn't see it, and it was unlikely to be somewhere she could reach it anyway.

She attacked the bars with her spear, which they hadn't taken off her for some reason, but it bounced back. Chanting, she sent a Fonic Arte at it, but that also fizzled out. She tried one of the Fonic Hymns she had learnt before quitting Van's class, but it failed as well. Getting irritated, she started pacing the cell. She needed something powerful enough to get her out of the cell...Suddenly an idea came to her, and she straightened, facing the bars.

_"Va Neu Va Rei Va Neu Va Zue Rei..._Judgement!_"_

An explosion rocked the cells, and Tear ducked, covering her head. Smoke crowded around her, blinding her for a moment before it began to clear. She stood up, coughing, and headed out of the cell.

"Tear? Is that you?" a voice called, coughing lightly, and she turned in surprise.

"Mum?" she called, hurrying towards where the voice was at. Finally she reached another energy cell, with Yulia sitting inside it. A choker was around her neck, and she looked pale, but smiled as she saw Tear.

"Tear...I didn't expect to see you here," she said.

"I didn't realise you were here! What happened?" Tear asked, concerned, as she started looking for the switch to the door.

"Lorelei asked me to investigate what Van was up to, but I had barely gotten through the door when they grabbed me and brought me here. They put this collar on me, and it meant I couldn't use my Fonic Hymns or any other abilities..."

Tear found the switch and pressed it. The bars faded and she reached in, helping Yulia up. She came out, Tear removing her hand. The bars appeared again, and Yulia sighed in relief.

"Thank you dear," she murmured.

"Hang on a minute," Tear said, reaching up for the collar. She grasped the edges, feeling a little notch and pressing down as she pulled. It came off with a buzz, and she threw it to the floor as Yulia rubbed her throat.

"That's better...Now, we better hurry. I'm worried about what Van plans to do," Yulia murmured.  
Tear nodded and the two girls turned, running down the hallway.

* * *

**A/N: Well...Van's getting a little rough, isn't he? Then again, I suppose it's less violent to throw your sister in a cell than to strangle her...**

**Review?**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: So, seeing as it's my birthday next Thursday, this may not be updated on a Thursday next week. If I can't update it then, I'll update it on Friday instead :3**

* * *

Tear and Yulia had only just stepped outside before the sound of fighting came to them. They shared a glance then hurried forward, diving through the trees to reach the area faster.

They came to the edge and stopped in shock, staring. It was a huge battlefield; student fought student, teacher against teacher. Tear searched the crowds, finally spotting Natalia near the back, shouting orders and firing arrow after arrow. Looking over at the enemy's side, she noticed that several students were hanging back, hovering in indecision. Some blatantly refused to fight, and she could see Legretta shouting at them.

She began to make her way over to where they stood, crouching in the undergrowth silently.

"What do you mean, you won't fight?!" snarled Legretta.

"We don't want to fight our friends!" a young girl cried, tears in her eyes.

"Idiots! Do you believe they will have mercy on you?! We've betrayed their trust, they only see you as enemies now!"

The kids were silent for a moment, wavering on indecision, the Tear saw a head of green hair step forward.

"That's not true. I believe that my friends will forgive me," Ion said strongly.

Legretta growled, raising her gun. "Stupid kid!" she snapped, hitting him across the cheek with the butt of it. He hit the floor with a gasp, and Tear saw Sync rush forward to his side.

"You are a naive fool if you truly believe that. Why would they forgive you? Who has a heart so stupid, that they will forgive traitors?" she snarled, raising her gun and pointing it at Ion.

Tear leapt forward from the bushes as Legretta fired, blocking the shot with her spear before reversing it and slamming the blunt end into her gut. She gave a gasp, falling back and hitting the ground, breathless. Tear straightened, spear still held at the ready.

"I do," she replied imperiously, staring down at Legretta before turning to Ion. "Ion, are you okay?" she asked worriedly, checking the green-head.

Ion smiled. "Tear! You're really here!" he cried happily.

"Of course. Arietta already explained the situation to me. If I show everyone else her letter, they'll understand that none of you want to fight," she said, addressing the crowd.

The students looked relieved, then one spoke up. "But how can we help?" they asked.

Tear looked towards the fighting groups, wondering how students were distinguishing friend and foe. She then noticed a red or blue bandana had been tied around their arms, with a symbol on the fabric.  
She looked back at the group. "Get a strip of blue or red fabric and tie it around your arms. Head to the back of their group; a blonde girl called Natalia is there, and if you explain the situation, she should accept you and help. Tell her that Mystearica sent you."

The group nodded, grabbing any blue or red fabric they had and ripping strips out of it, tying them around their arms. They started off, Ion shooting Tear a reassuring grin, then followed Sync.

Tear stood, looking around. In the confusion, Legretta had disappeared, but that wasn't her concern at the moment. She was looking for Van, or Lorelei. Van so that she could stop him, and Lorelei to explain the situation more and make sure he was alright.

Finally deciding she didn't have much choice, she dived into the fighting. She herself didn't have a strip of cloth, but this just meant that the students of her enemy didn't realise she wasn't one of them. She just needed to avoid the attacks from others and make sure not to attract too much attention.

As she found herself being pressed on by all sides, she remembered what she and Luke had done in the hall the other day and automatically adjusted her steps, starting to glide between them. Still, it was difficult, and she found herself getting more and more squished.

Suddenly a horn sounded, and she watched as the Daath students backed away from the area. The other students, a little wary, did the same, until there a large circle in which Van stood in the centre of.

Tear pushed her way through the crowds, reaching the circle but not pushing through the edge just yet.

"Come, Lorelei! Haven't we had enough bloodshed today? Come out and face me like a man, instead of cowering behind these younglings!" Van called out. Murmuring started up, the fighting stopping. A moment later a few students were gently pushed aside, Lorelei stepping out into the centre.

"Dad!" Tear glanced back at the edge of the circle, watching as Asch bullied his way through the students, Luke following behind.

"Luke, Asch, stay back," Lorelei ordered, his tone cold. The two boys stopped, their green-gold eyes full of fear; not of Lorelei, but of what could happen to him.

"What is it you want, Vandescelsca?" asked Lorelei, gold eyes regarding him coldly.

"You, Lorelei. You are a danger to this world; your powers as a Seventh Fonist are legendary, but those with power are more likely to try and seize more. You started with this school, but what's to stop you from marrying into royalty, taking control of a country, even trying to control the world? Nothing. So I want to ask something of you Lorelei." Van drew himself up, gazing at Lorelei in the eye. "Step down as Headmaster, and allow me to take up the role."

Lorelei raised an eyebrow.

"And if I refuse?"

"Come now, Lorelei. Surely it mustn't come to that. After all, what would poor, dear Suzanne say?"

Lorelei scowled. "You leave her out of this, Van?"

"Why should I? I think she agrees with me."

Van murmured something under his breath, and then Tear stared as an image appeared in front of Lorelei. A beautiful woman floated there, her dark red hair flowing out behind her and gentle green eyes shining. She smiled at Lorelei, holding out her hands, expression soft.

Lorelei froze, staring at it. Behind him, Luke and Asch both looked stricken, Asch stepping forward in wonder while Luke backed away, shaking his head but never looking away from her.

The other students stared at her, but didn't seem as captivated as the three red-heads were. Tear could feel that something was wrong, something was off, and she began to push through the students, heading towards where Luke and Asch were.

"Dear.." Lorelei murmured, raising his hands towards her. Asch had pushed through the crowds by now, coming to stop just beside him and staring at the woman. She saw him and smiled brightly, holding out a hand towards him, and he raised his own to take hers.

Luke stared at the image of his mother. She looked exactly the same but...there was no way...

He blinked, trying to force the image away; this had happened before, he remembered, he'd seen his mother but it wasn't her, it was only an illusion. Still, it looked so much like her, just like he remembered. Trembling, he stepped through the circle towards her, gazing at her. She turned her green eyes on him, smiling happily, but he realised with a jolt that her eyes held no love. They were empty, devoid of emotion. Whoever it was, it wasn't his mum, but Asch and Dad couldn't see that...

The image seemed to waver, and Luke caught a brief glimpse of Van charging, his sword drawn and aiming to attack both Lorelei and Asch as they stood there, stunned beyond thought. No..there was no way he was going to let Van kill the rest of his family! No way in _hell!_

"Dad! Asch!" he shouted, leaping at them. He pushed Lorelei aside, causing him to stumble into Asch and the two of them to hit the floor. Looking up, about to shout at Luke for interfering, they stared as he gave a yell of pain. Blood flew out, hitting the floor, before he collapsed to his side.

Van pulled back, scowling. "Stupid boy, getting in my way..." he snarled, then turning to the two red-heads, he murmured again. The woman appeared again, and Tear realised that he must be using it to control them, to distract them long enough to kill them.

But this time, they didn't look at her. Their eyes were fixed on the injured and bleeding Luke lying on the grass, his hair fanned out around him and the grass slowly being stained with red. He panted heavily, eyes screwed tight with pain.

"Luke..." Asch whispered, his mind finally starting to work. He looked up at the image, and this time saw through it, saw Van standing there with the victorious smirk as he raised his sword to attack them. He brought the sword swinging down and Asch growled.

He pulled out his sword, raising it and blocking Van's strike. Van staggered back in surprise as Asch stood, sword poised.

"How dare you hurt my brother!" he snarled, lunging forward. Their swords clashed, sending sparks flying off, but Asch barely paused before swinging again, catching Van's blade while holding his own sword with one hand. They went flying back, making them both lose balance, but Asch simply reversed the hilt and spun, slashing at Van. Van only just managed to dodge, stepping back out of range, and Asch grasped the handle with both hands before attacking Van over and over.

Tear stood, captivated, then remembered Luke.

"Luke!" she cried, pushing through the students to the centre. She quickly knelt beside him, checking the wound over. It was deep, and could become fatal if they didn't act quickly enough.

Chanting, a light appeared around the cut and it healed slightly, but blood still leaked out and Tear panicked. She used the spell over and over, but soon the effects dampened and the wound hadn't been healed enough.

"Damn it.." she whispered, trying to think of something else, but her fear only increasing as more and more blood leaked out. Tear looked up to Asch for help, hoping maybe he had finished with Van, but her expression quickly changed to one of concern.

Asch was no longer focusing. His attacks were merely angry, with no real force or ability behind them. He slashed over and over again, but Van was easily blocking them. He simply attacked in a desperate and futile attempt to break through Van's guard.

Finally Van gave a grunt of dissatisfaction, flicking his wrist and causing Asch's blade to fly out of his hand. It landed on the grass a little way away, and Asch froze, a sword pointed at his throat.

"I'm tired of these little games. Why don't you join your brother?" Van said cruelly, then slashed. Asch flew back, crashing to the ground while blood pooled from the wound. He coughed, shifting slightly, and Tear hurried over to him, trying to heal the wound. However, as soon as she stopped healing Luke's wound, it began to get worse again, and she looked at it in distress. She couldn't heal them at the same time, but if she didn't heal Luke he'd die, and if she didn't heal Asch he'd die...

"Tear!" a voice cried, and Tear looked up as Natalia pushed through the crowds, coming to a stop beside her. She checked Asch over then began to heal him, face tight with concentration. "You heal Luke. I have Asch," she ordered.

Tear nodded, running back over to Luke and starting to heal him again.

"I can't let you do that," a quiet voice murmured, and Natalia raised her head, staring into Van's expressionless face. She drew back slightly, fear running through her.

"W-Well, the only way I'd stop is if you killed me," she replied, her voice strong despite her situation.

Van raised an eyebrow. "If you so wish," he said with a shrug, raising the sword.

"No! Natalia!" Tear cried as the sword was brought down.

* * *

**A/N: Cliffhanger!**

**Haha, I'm sorry, but hopefully it'll be worth the wait!**

**Plus, it kinda needed to end there...**

**Review?**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: My birthday has/will literally go for 4 days in a row. Shopping trip with an aunt on Wednesday, London with Mum on Thursday, relatives coming over (ugh) on Friday, and ice skating with Dad and friend on Saturday!**

**Luckily, I'm not going out until 11 today, so I was able to upload on the correct day! :D (I have a 3DS and a Tales of the Abyss game...I'm so happy!)**

* * *

The sound of metal on metal resounded around the clearing, and everyone stared.

Lorelei had finally moved. He stood over Natalia and Asch, his sword drawn and meeting Van's with equal strength. His gold eyes blazed with anger.

"Natalia, focus on healing Asch," he said crisply, and Natalia nodded, quickly continuing with her arte.

Lorelei pushed Van back, stalking forward.

"You've angered me, Vandescelsca. I was mad before, but now I am furious. Not only have you put the lives of all the students and teachers here at risk, you have blatantly destroyed any trust I had in you, manipulated those close to me, and went so far as to use my wife's image to distract me. And then, you dared, you _dared_, to attack my sons and injure them? I have lost all patience, Vandescelsca. If a fight is what you want, a fight is what you get, but I will not be holding back!"

As he finished his speech, he leapt forward, attacking Van with a fury and rage that Tear had never seen in anyone before. His eyes burned with their deep anger, an anger that stemmed from seeing Van attack his remaining family, but despite his anger, his attacks remained precise and controlled. He was obviously a master swordsman, and Tear rued the day she would ever have to fight him.

Van seemed to realise he was in trouble as well. He backed away, only just fending off Lorelei's blows. As Lorelei drew back briefly, Van glanced up and nodded to someone in the crowd. Tear turned, then froze as a gun was pointed at her forehead.

A scythe came to a rest against Natalia's neck, and the two girls barely dared breath.

"This is nothing personal, Tear. I merely acting on orders," Legretta said, cocking the gun.

"Sorry girly. Hope you don't get too offended," Largo added with a savage grin, bringing the scythe closer to her neck so that the cold metal was barely touching the skin. Natalia shivered, screwing her eyes shut.

_"Kuroa Ryuo Kuroa Neu Toue Rei Kuroa Ryuo Zue Rei Va."_

Light appeared underneath the two teachers, and they stared at it before crying out as the attack hit. They were blasted backwards into the crowd, which were now beginning to back away as the full enormity of the situation came to them.

Tear turned, looking for the source of the Fonic Hymn, and saw Yulia.

"Mum!" she cried in relief as Yulia hurried forward, kneeling beside her and checking Luke over.

"Try the Fonic Hymn. It may not work, but it's worth a shot," Yulia said.

Tear nodded, closing her eyes.

_"Ryuo Rei Kuroa Ryuo Zue Rei Va Zue Rei.."_

A gold glow appeared around Luke and Asch, the wounds on their bodies healing up tremendously. The blood stopped flowing, and Tear breathed in relief.

Yulia, however, remained business-like. "Tear, have you learnt the meaning of the sixth Fonic Hymn?" she asked. Tear pulled the sheets of paper out of her bag, quickly reading through the last bit.

_'Considering what Mum just did, it's some kind of attack...Yeah, there's the Attack bit...But it's not the same, the fifth uses Fire fonons. The sixth will use Light fonons. Yeah, there it is...So that means...'_

"I think so," she said finally, looking up at Yulia. The older woman nodded, standing.

"I'm going to need your help, Tear. The six verses together, along with final, seventh verse, create a hymn that I call the Grand Fonic Hymn. It can empower those who use Seventh Fonons. Lorelei looks like he's winning, but he's not; he's tiring, and Van can see it, that's why he hasn't retaliated yet. However, if we're going to give Lorelei the power he needs to defeat Van, we'll need to sing together."

She looked at the tan haired girl beside her.

"Can you do it?" she asked.

Tear hesitated briefly, then steeled herself and nodded.

"Yes."

Yulia smiled. "Then let us begin," she said, before closing her eyes. Tear copied the action, the two women gathering themselves a moment before beginning to sing.

_"Toue Rei Zue Kuroa Ryou Toue Zue_

_Kuroa Ryou Zue Toue Ryou Rei Neu Ryou Zue_

_Va Rei Zue Toue Neu Toue Ryuo Toue Kuroa_

_Ryuo Rei Kuroa Ryuo Zue Rei Va Zue Rei_

_Va Neu Va Rei Va Neu Va Zue Rei_

_Kuroa Ryuo Kuroa Neu Toue Rei Kuroa Ryuo Zue Rei Va_

_Rei Va Neu Kuroa Toue Rei Rei."_

The entire battlefield seemed to fall silent as the song captivated all its listeners. Van paused briefly, wondering what hymn it was, then staggered as Lorelei seemed to renew his attack, gold eyes starting to glow.

The two girls hadn't finished, however, taking a deep breath and starting to sing again. Natalia noticed with some surprise that Asch appeared to be glowing, and frowned, wondering what it was.

_"Toue Rei Zue Kuroa Ryou Toue Zue_

_Kuroa Ryou Zue Toue Ryou Rei Neu Ryou Zue_

_Va Rei Zue Toue Neu Toue Ryuo Toue Kuroa_

_Ryuo Rei Kuroa Ryuo Zue Rei Va Zue Rei_

_Va Neu Va Rei Va Neu Va Zue Rei_

_Kuroa Ryuo Kuroa Neu Toue Rei Kuroa Ryuo Zue Rei Va_

_Rei Va Neu Kuroa Toue Rei Rei."_

As they reached the final note, power suddenly seemed to explode from the three red-heads. People screamed, backing away and covering their eyes against the light. Natalia closed her eyes against the glare, then slowly opened them as the wind began to die. Looking back, she stared.

Asch stood in front of her, facing Van. His usually green eyes were now a deep gold, and appeared distant. The gold glow around him was strong, causing his hair to ripple with a non-existent wind. Glancing back, she saw Luke was also standing now, in much the same state as Asch.

She turned to where Lorelei stood, seeing that Van had fallen to the floor from the force of power. His eyes were also distant, and the gold glow around him seemed even stronger.

"W-What's going on?" she asked, looking at the three of them in confusion.

"Mum? What happened?" Tear asked, looking at Yulia in worry.

"Do not fret. I designed the Grand Fonic Hymn with Lorelei. It is a trigger to their powers, allowing them to release it all."

"What do you mean?" asked Tear, confused.

Yulia looked at her. "Every being exerts a certain amount of magical aura, correct?"

"Yes...their fonons, right?"

"Exactly. You have likely sensed those fonons from Luke, Asch and Lorelei as well, haven't you?"

"Yeah, but they seemed pretty average."

Yulia shook her head. "Every being is made up of the six basic fonons, and a special few with seven, correct?"

"Yes..."

"Well, these three are purely made from seventh fonons."

Tear absorbed this for a moment, then gasped. "What?!"

"Lorelei, at the very least, is. Luke and Asch have a few vague others, which they inherited from their mother, but are primarily made of seventh fonons. They have learnt, however, how to hide this so that nobody suspects them. And that is what I mean. The power you sense from them is only a fraction of what they can actually exert. My song is a release for that power - though alone, I can only unlock the powers for Lorelei. To release all three, I needed your help as well."

"And..how strong are they?" asked Tear hesitantly.

Yulia shook her head. "For that, I have no answer. It is immeasurable."

* * *

**A/N: Superpowers!**

**So...one chapter, and then this bit is done! I've got a sequel all written up, so don't worry!**

**Review?**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Last chapter!**

* * *

Tear gulped, looking back at the three figures. Luke had stepped forward to stand beside Asch, and the two boys regarded Van with a certain amount of coldness.

Lorelei stared at Van for a moment. The Daath dorm master shrunk under the glare, backing away. "A-Alright. I surrender. I can see that this isn't a fight I can win," he murmured. Lorelei gazed at him a moment more, then closed his eyes, looking away.

"I don't have time to deal with filth like you," he said stiffly, turning and walking back towards the group.

Tear could only stare at him. He had a very powerful aura, and rather than being the good-natured, kind-hearted Headmaster she knew, he seemed imperious and cold; a dangerous enemy. She shivered at the thought, hugging herself.

Hearing a clink, she looked back towards Van, seeing him grasp the handle of his sword. She suddenly realised what he planned to do and turned.

"Lorelei, watch out!" she shouted. The golden eyed man glanced at her a moment, then turned slightly, looking towards Van. Then he stiffened as the sword was plunged into his body, the tip sticking out the other end.

Everything remained frozen for a moment, and Lorelei glared at Van with hateful eyes as a line of blood came from the corner of his mouth.

"You..." he hissed.

"Come now Lorelei. You're too naive, and we both know it," Van replied with a smirk, pulling his sword out. Lorelei collapsed to the floor, and everything fell silent.

It was a niggling feeling at first. Tear was so concentrated on the still form of Lorelei, she barely noticed it. Then it began to build and build, until finally she lifted her gaze from his prone body to the source of the building headache.

And stared.

Luke and Asch's eyes were wide as they stared at the body of their fallen father. They were trembling, breathing starting to come in ragged breaths.

"_Dad...Dad..._" whispered Luke, his golden eyes diluting.

Asch shook his head slowly. "Not Dad...please, not Dad.." he mumbled, instinctively hugging himself.

By now a few other people had noticed, looking towards the twins. Yulia looked concerned, apparently not expecting them to get any more powerful than they already were. Because that was what was happening.

They were gathering power.

The fonons in the air began to shiver, and now Van looked up, searching for the source of the disturbance. As the vibrations grew stronger, so did the gold glow around the two boys. Finally Tear realised what they were doing. They were causing a hyperresonance.

Separately.

Somehow, both of them were causing their own hyperresonance by themselves. Lorelei had said it was only a rumour, but now she realised he had always known they could do it. Then she remembered something else he had talked about. _'Second order hyperresonance'_...The combining of two separate hyperresonances simultaneously.

Finally Van realised where the disturbance was coming from, and started towards them, his sword raised. Blood dripped down it, and their eyes only diluted even further.

"_Dad.._" they whispered together.

And exploded.

The force was shocking. Everyone screamed, being thrown back and crashing into others or the floor. They buried their heads in their arms, unable to withstand the raw power flooding from the twins. Yulia dragged Tear away, then grabbed Natalia and also pulled her to the side, quickly singing her second Fonic Hymn and causing a force field to appear around them and all the students and teachers, apart from Van, who she could not see through the light.

That was when the heat washed over them. It was unbearable, a searing heat like nothing Tear had ever felt before. Within seconds her body was covered in sweat, and she felt lightheaded from it. Natalia clutched her, burying her face into her shoulder, and she fought against the desire to do the same.

Then the flames faded. Yulia hesitantly lowered her barriers, and everyone inspected the damage. The courtyard was, oddly, completely unharmed, and though a few flames flickered on the grass, they didn't burn it. At the centre, Luke and Asch knelt upon the grass, the gold glow gone. Lorelei was also unscathed, at least by the flames. And the only thing remaining of Van was a pile of blackened earth.

"They went supernova. I didn't..expect them to get that far. Even Lorelei hasn't quite reached that level of control yet," Yulia whispered in shock.

Tear stood up, helping Natalia at the same time, and the two girls hesitantly walked forward to the kneeling red-heads.

"Luke? Asch?" Tear asked as they came up towards them. They didn't respond, and Natalia reached out to touch Asch's shoulder. He reacted instinctively, drawing his sword and placing it against Natalia's neck in one swift motion. For a moment everything was still, then Natalia backed away.

Asch didn't move, and Tear realised that his eyes were oddly empty.

"It's alright, Natalia. They're just acting defensively, they don't actually mean to hurt you. I doubt they would recognise anyone at this stage," she soothed the trembling blonde.

Natalia nodded slowly, but didn't reply. Tear heard footsteps and watched as the rest of their group came forward, looking upset. Jozette and Arietta crossed over to Natalia, Jozette whispering comforting words in her ear as she tried to calm her down.

"Are they alright?" asked Ion hesitantly.

Tear shook her head. "I don't know. They're not responding to anyone, as far as I can tell. Not even...Lorelei!"

Remembering him suddenly, she raced past the still boys and to his side, kneeling down and checking him over. The wound was dangerous, fatal even, yet as she checked him over she found that he was still breathing, his heart still beating.

"Guys! He's still alive!" she called back. The others looked shocked, then Yulia hurried over, checking the wound.

"If we sing the third and fourth hymns together, it should be enough to heal him and get his body working properly again," she said.

"Are we singing one each or in unison?" asked Tear.

"Unison. It will make it more powerful."

Tear nodded, closing her eyes as Yulia did the same.

_"Va Rei Zue Toue Neu Toue Ryuo Toue Kuroa_

_Ryuo Rei Kuroa Ryuo Zue Rei Va Zue Rei..."_

A gold glow appeared around Lorelei as the wound mostly closed. The two girls waited in suspense, scared that maybe it hadn't been enough, that he was going to die from blood loss.

_"You need not worry."_

The voice was gentle, but she didn't recognise it. Raising her head, she turned before staring.

The figure walked across the grass, short dark red hair framing her gentle face and deep green eyes shining with a deep love and understanding. She knelt next to Tear, reaching over to brush a hand through Lorelei's hair.

"Suzanne?" Yulia choked.

Suzanne raised her head, smiling._ "Yulia. It's been a while. I'm glad to see you're doing well."_ Turning her head, she saw Tear and looked her over._ "And young Mystearica. I've been watching you."_

"Huh? W-What do you mean?"

_"I may have passed on, but I've still been keeping tabs on my family. And let me assure you, you'll soon count as one if I know my boys."_

Tear turned red and Suzanne laughed, then turned back to Lorelei.

"Why did you say we wouldn't have to worry?" Tear asked finally.

_"Hmm? Oh, because Lorelei is too stubborn to let something like an injury stop him, no matter how serious. It's just one of the traits that Luke and Asch inherited from him."_

"Don't I know it.." Tear sighed, and Suzanne smiled.

_"You'll learn with time, dear. Just as I did. Those little, sometimes irritating quirks that make up who they are, those are the most precious things about them. It defines them, and once you have those figured out, it's pretty easy to read them!"_

Tear looked at her a moment, then nodded. Finally, biting her lip, she blurted out the question.

"How are you here?"

Suzanne looked at her a moment, then smiled. _"Who knows. Maybe it's because I've always felt it is my job to watch over them, and so in a time of their greatest need, I managed to appear before them._" She gazed at Tear, her green eyes seeming to see right into her core._ "I know you've been helping them, Mystearica. Luke especially. You are there to listen when they need to talk, and you do not judge them...and for that, I thank you."_

Tear nodded slowly. "I-It's my pleasure, ma'am," she mumbled quietly.

Suzanne smiled, then sighed unhappily._ "I should go. They need time to heal, and my being here is not going to help. They're slowly getting over it, but that pain is still raw. So please, Mystearica, will you help them in my stead?"_

"Of course I will," Tear replied.

_"Thank you,"_ Suzanne murmured, kissing her forehead before vanishing. Tear remained kneeling there for a moment, then shook her head and looked at Yulia.

"We should probably get them moved to the Infirmary," she said, and Yulia nodded slowly.

* * *

Luke woke slowly. His head hurt and he felt exhausted, and he wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. But something was nagging at him, so he figured he'd just find out what it was and then go back to sleep.

As he became more aware, he realised there was a light tugging on his hair. It wasn't constant, just occasional, and he wondered what was going on. Raising his head, the tugging stopped and he heard movement.

"You're awake? Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you," Tear said, coming into his view.

"S'okay...kinda relaxing," Luke mumbled tiredly.

Tear smiled gently, brushing a hand through his hair. "You should go back to sleep. You and Asch really exhausted yourselves."

His mind slowly struggled with that, and the reason for it eventually came to him.

"Is...Dad okay?" he asked, forcing his words to make sense and not slur incoherently.

Tear nodded. "He's fine. Resting, though. He's just as stubborn as you two until he runs out of steam." Luke gave a weak chuckle, his eyes sliding shut.

"You'll...still be here, right?" he mumbled.

He heard Tear's light laugh. "Of course. Just go to sleep, Luke. I'll always be here."

* * *

**A/N: And that's the end! Aww, gotta love Luke/Tear 3**

**Anyways, I know it's a cliffy. Don't kill me! *hides* It just kinda wanted to finish there, okay?**

**The sequel, 'Your Mind is Your Enemy', will have it's first chapter posted today, pretty soon after this is uploaded. It's kinda like the whole game, but in two stories XD**

**Review? And thanks for reading!**


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